A Twist of Fate
by IceWarrior13
Summary: On the night of the Fall of Beacon, a mysterious stranger arrives and intervenes before a great tragedy can occur. This sets off a complex series of events leading to revelations, redemptions, rebellions, and reconciliations. AN: this story is either to be an AU of my "A Tale of Twin Dragons" or its own independent tale, it could be taken as either.
1. Prologue - The Missing Bird

Screams filled the air as the Grimm and White Fang flew through Vale City like fire, destroying everything in their path. The students of the four academies of Remnant battled against them, desperate to save the Kingdom of Vale's capital and Beacon Academy from annihilation.

One of these students was Blake Belladonna, a cat-Faunus and an ex-White Fang member, and a member of Beacon's first-year Team RWBY. And she was in trouble.

In Beacon's burning cafeteria, Blake faced her old partner from the White Fang, Adam Taurus. He was her mentor, her teacher, so she stood no chance against him in a contest of skill. His presence also sent terror into Blake's mind, clouding her judgement and hampering her efforts to defeat him.

Adam, on the other hand, almost had his skill sharpened by his rage. His rage at Blake abandoning him and the White Fang and his rage at her constantly fighting against her old comrades and their less-than-noble effort to destroy humanity entirely for some of the less-kind humans' intolerable efforts in subjugating the Faunus.

Soon, Blake was lying on the ground on her back, her golden eyes wide as her ex-partner crouched down next to her.

"As I set out upon this world to deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love." He assured, the tone of his voice sincere. No... Not just sincere. It was determined.

"BLAKE!" A voice shouted, and it was followed by a series of powerful blasts. Adam and Blake looked up to see Blake's partner from Team RWBY, Yang Xiao-Long, firing her shotgun-gauntlets, _Ember Celica_ , in an effort to get past White Fang members and Grimm just outside the cafeteria, her lilac eyes wide and desperately searching. "Blake, where are you?!" Adam noticed Blake's expression of horror and smirked.

"Starting with-" Adam paused as a dark-turquoise and teal vortex appeared in the air behind him, looking back as his expression lit up in surprise. "What?!"

Out of the swirling image stepped a figure wearing a shallow-cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of black beads hanging haphazardly around her neck, a dark-blue girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. Over these gauntlets rested silver bracelets thats looked just like the collapsed-form of Ember Celica.

An object that looked to be made from black feathers hung from the right side of her skirt. She also wore detached black leggings with a dark-blue splatter pattern, and black leather boots beneath them. She appeared to have a large mass of feathery black hair with some dark-blue highlights (held back slightly by a dark-blue bandanna that peered out from under her hair), and from what could be seen of her skin-tone, it was light.

Her most distinctive feature was a fearsome, full-face mask that resembled the face of a Creature of Grimm. Except, instead of white and red, it was white and dark-blue. The mask had four eye slits, further enhancing the figure's inhuman appearance.

She was armed with a strange dark-grey sheath, and as Blake and Adam watched, she gripped the hilt of a blade. Blake's eyes widened as the sheath seemed to rotate, and she realized that it had a rotary chamber filled with different types of Dust blades, reminiscent of the Dust-vial chamber of Weiss Schnee's Myrtenaster.

The figure drew a long-bladed, single-edged ōdachi, or "great sword", that appeared to be made of some dark-blue material that Blake didn't recognize. The sword's blade was telescopic, as it instantly grew to be approximately twice the length of its sheath as the figure lowered it, appearing to challenge Adam.

"Who..?" Blake stared, sitting up as Adam stood to face the figure in dark-blue. Adam gave a small scowl, placing a hand on the hilt of his own blade: _Wilt_.

"What are you doing, here?" He asked coldly. The figure tilted her head to the side, and Blake wished for a moment that she could see her rescuer's eyes. Then, the cat-Faunus shuddered at what such a person might look like.

"Is that any way to greet your old friend, Adam?" The figure replied coyly. The figure's voice surprised Blake. If the cat-Faunus didn't know any better, she would think that the person under that mask was her age, and even more startling: if she didn't know any better, she would think that the person under that mask was Yang.

A colder, less-kind Yang.

But wait... Why had the figure referred to Adam as their friend? Sure, she wore a Grimm-mask, but Blake had never seen a White Fang member with a mask that large and she couldn't pick up the scent of or see any animal-trait. It could have been the smoke, but Blake was almost positive that the figure was human.

"... What do you want?" Adam demanded, not denying the claim. The figure lightly gestured with her sword to Yang, who was still fighting Grimm outside the cafeteria.

"She predicted your next move here, Adam." She announced, her tone brimming with rage. "And I cannot allow it." Adam's frown deepened, then his expression fell.

"Oh." Was his reply. Blake looked between the two, still sitting but collecting her weapon: _Gambol Shroud_. "I see."

"So." The figure continued, her blade still raised. "Will you allow me to remove her before you enact your vengeance, or-?" Adam shook his head.

"That girl is part of my vengeance."

"... I cannot allow you to harm her, Adam." The figure spoke quietly, her grip on her blade tightening. "The Tribe's laws are absolute. You know this, and you know that I have chosen. You must grant me my Right of One."

"I am no longer associated with the Tribe. You know that."

"Oh well, then. That, combined with what you are trying to accomplish here, means that there's no reason for our forces to play friends anymore, yes? I suppose that, now, you and Sienna Khan's forces are trespassing in Mistral." The figure's voice suddenly sharpened to the point where it could have cut Hardsteel, and she stepped forward. Adam immedietly drew his blade and aimed it at her. "... And you know what we do with trespassers."

"Go on, then." Adam shot back, his blade still raised to fend the figure off. His tone was... Mocking. "Tell Raven about what I am to do, here. She won't do anything to the White Fang and risk going to war-"

"Raven isn't in charge anymore, old friend." The figure chuckled darkly, Adam's expression falling into disbelief, borderline horror. "I lead our people, now. We dueled for the Tribe last autumn, and I won." Wilt shook on his hand. "She is now my second-in-command, and she is restrained on a VERY tight leash... Choose your next move wisely." The figure's voice softened slightly. "I don't want to hurt you, Adam. But you know why I will have to, if you harm the girl."

The two were silent for a long moment, then Blake's eyes widened as Adam actually sheathed Wilt. The figure seemed to relax, lowering her own blade slightly.

"That's two you owe me." Adam glared, livid. "And I will collect." The figure nodded in agreement, then looked over as Yang finished a Beowolf. She looked back at Adam.

"You don't have much time. She will be coming this way, so you must either kill this one silently or spare her and make her suffer another day."

"... Very well." Adam glared down at Blake. "Do not mistake this as an act of mercy. Believe me... You will wish that I killed you, tonight." Adam looked up at the figure, and they gazed at each other for another long moment. "... So, you have finally succumbed to her plan for you?"

The tension in the air could have broken _Gambol Shroud_ if Blake attempted to cut it. Blake's eyes widened at how much emotion seemed to flow through the air, even though those who had to be conveying it were wearing masks. What had Adam been hiding from her while they were partners? Who was this person? Why-?

"... You left me little choice." The figure replied quietly, looking down slightly, and Adam's expression flashed with surprise. Blake stared at him as his hands seemed to shake at his sides the longer he gazed at the figure. Then, Adam shook out of it, turned away, and ran from the cafeteria.

Blake stared as the figure in dark-blue watched him go, then the figure gave a small sigh and turned and slashed a new vortex into the air with her blade, turning and walking towards it silently. Blake stood, her eyes narrowing.

"Why?" She asked, suspicious. The figure paused. "Why call Adam _old friend_? Why protect Yang?" The figure remained silent. "Who is Raven?! How did she know this would happen, why does she have to be kept on a tight leash?! What is this _Tribe_ , why is Adam a part of it and why would it side with the White Fang?! What is this Right of One?! What did you mean, you have chosen?! Who are you?!"

"Be silent!" The figure snapped, turning and glaring at Blake through the slits of her mask. Blake couldn't see her eyes, but she could feel the glare in the chill that went down her spine. "You live to see your next encounter with Adam because of me, and your partner goes unharmed! Do not question an act of mercy, unless-!" The warrior raised her blade slightly, and Blake tensed. "You wish it to be revoked."

Blake knew that, for some reason, the figure was working hard to keep Yang from seeing her. And all Blake would need to do was scream, and Yang would come running. That, and the figure seemed to have some moral code, and she had promised Blake's life to Adam. Blake's resolve to get answers steeled. The figure wouldn't dare strike.

"... How do you know that Yang is my partner?" Blake asked, her grip on _Gambol Shroud_ tightening. "Who are you?!" The figure growled and raised her blade, probably attempting intimidation (why may have worked, Blake decided, given time), only for both she and Blake to turn as they heard the priming of two shotguns.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yang yelled in fury, her hair on fire and her eyes glowing red, leaping out of the doorway and slamming her flaming fist into the figure's stomach. The warrior in blue was set flying back into a wall, landing on her feet as the vortex she had been just about to enter vanished. The figure and Yang faced each other, Yang's eyes narrowed in rage as she clenched her fists, baring her teeth. "Raven!"

Yang yelled and ran in, the figure gracefully stepping aside to dodge an attack before raising the flat of her blade to block a punch from the blonde's right hand. Yang growled and punched with her left, the figure ducking under it and leaping back to avoid another swing from the right. The figure in blue's tactic seemed to be blocking and evasion, not counterattack.

Yang tried to hit the figure with an uppercut, but the figure leapt up, somersaulting in the air over Yang before landing on two feet and turning to the girl, drawing a blade of ice-Dust and stabbing the ground, creating an ice-slick. Yang punched the ground and created a shroud of steam, and Blake quickly grabbed her gun and fired, dispersing it.

Yang was looking around, confused, and her eyes locked on the figure. She was standing across the room from Yang, gazing at her silently, her blade sheathed with her right hand wrapped around the hilt and her left resting on the sheath.

Yang roared in rage and charged again, rearing her right fist back and loading a round into _Ember Celica_ , punching down... Only for a silver and dark-blue version of the yellow and red gauntlet to lift up and meet it head-on, firing a round of ice-Dust and sending Yang flying back, crashing into the ground next to Blake.

"Yang!" Blake helped the Blonde Brawler up, the both of them staring with wide eyes as the figure lowered her left fist, the gauntlet quickly turning back into a silver bracelet and softly clinking against the armor of her dark-blue and black gauntlet. Yang's jaw fell open, her body shaking.

"Y-you're not-" She stuttered, stunned. The figure raised her dark-blue blade and lightly slashed it through the air, summoning a vortex and turning to it. "W-who..? Who are you?"

The figure paused, then slowly bowed her head and let out a small sigh as she sheathed her blade.

"I am bound by the rules of my people." She announced quietly. She spoke with that same tone, and Blake did not think that Yang was able to realize how similar their voices were. "They believe that the strong survive, and the weak die. Those are the rules, actually. Rules that I have tried to change, but tradition is a powerful thing..." Yang raised an eyebrow. "I was told, when I learned of your existence, that I had a Right of One. It was my right to save you once. Raven has already used her Right of One, so when she told me what would happen to you, I saw little choice."

"She knew this would happen?" Yang asked, her eyes narrowing. Then, she frowned. "But why? Why would you go through all of this to save me from... Whatever you saved me from?"

"I saved you from losing your right arm." The figure announced simply, maybe even arrogantly, Blake and Yang's eyes widening in shock. "And as for why... It hardly matters, now. I completed the Right, so I must return to my people, for if they learned of you and why I did this before I can change things-"

"Why? Why did you do this?" Yang demanded, stepping forward. "Who are you?!"

"... I was not spared the pain of knowing that you existed." The figure spoke with a weariness, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. "It would be best if you were left with this unanswered question, at least for now, rather than knowing what I know and having to live with what she decided for us weighing your heart and mind."

"She?" Yang asked, clenching her fists. "You mean Raven?" The figure didn't reply. "You know where she is? She's one of your people? ... Why did she leave me?!"

"Yang-"

"Why?!"

"Please, I have to-"

"That's it!" Yang marched up and grabbed the figure's mask, tearing it off and throwing it aside. The figure was so shocked by this that she didn't even think of going after it or trying to hide her face. Yang's lilac eyes met a pair of sapphire blue, and everything seemed to go quiet.

The girl standing before Yang was seventeen, approaching eighteen. Her facial-structure was identical to Yang's, save her lighter skin-tone and her higher eyebrows. She also wore eyeliner that made her eyes looks sharper, adding to the slowly-growing belief in Blake that every part of this person was designed to intimidate.

"I..." The girl took a step back, she and Yang staring at each other with wide eyes. Yang slowly reached out, stunned.

"Y-you look like-" She managed to speak. Suddenly girl in dark-blue activated her right gauntlet and fired at the ground, coating the floor in ice. As Yang and Blake slid, the girl ran across the ice without effort and grabbed her mask, placing it back on her face before turning and running toward the vortex. Yang fired her right gauntlet at the ground to reduce the ice to steam, and she ran after the girl. "Wait, stop!"

The girl was six feet from her portal when a grey, black, and red shape knocked her aside, ripping a large silver blade through the vortex and disbursing it. The girl stood, glaring and drawing a blade of ice-Dust as Qrow Branwen stood there, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the girl.

"Stand. Down." He ordered, Yang pausing as she and Blake watched with wide eyes, but the girl got into a fighting-stance. "You screwed up, _IceCube_. Give up... She deserves to know the truth." The girl lowered her blade slightly.

"Uncle Qrow, who is this?!" Yang demanded, her eyes narrowing and tinting red. "Why does she dress like Raven?! Why does she look like me?!" Qrow sighed, shaking his head, then looked at the girl.

"You always said how much you wanted to meet her."

"That was a long time ago!" The girl in blue snarled, the sharpness of her tone causing Blake and Yang to flinch. Qrow didn't bat an eye. If anything, he grew concerned.

"A year ago. Kid... Just tell her." Qrow was pleading, now. "This little _Firecracker_ 's tough. If you don't tell her now, she'll just hunt you down later. And if the whole Tribe tries to attack, you won't be able to protect her." The girl in blue tensed slightly. "The strong survive, the weak die: those are the rules. You know that."

Qrow and the girl stared at each other, then the girl sheathed her blade, bowing her head and removing her mask with both hands, attaching it to her belt so that it rested on top of her weapon's sheath.

"... Who are you?" Yang asked, stepping forward. The girl sighed, then turned around and faced Yang, managing a small smile.

"My name is Rhea Branwen." She replied, and Yang's eyes widened. "Yang... We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

 ** _To the fans of "A Tale of Twin Dragons":_**

 ** _I know what you're thinking: "should we kill IceWarrior13?". And the answer may surprise you-_**

 ** _*screams and runs away from a crowd of rioters in fear*_**

 ** _I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-!_**

 ** _*dies*_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _Just kidding!_**

 ** _Guys, I'm going to be completely honest with you: I love "A Tale of Twin Dragons". I really do, it's one of my greatest creations and I fully plan on continuing it. But with the arrival of Volume Four, I began to regret certain choices I made and began writing this - a darker, less-kind story that focuses more upon Rhea's character, her backstory, and her interactions with others than how cool she can be._**

 ** _I was a far more amateur writer when I first began working on "A Tale of Twin Dragons", but I've learned a lot over the summer. I've even began working in my first real novel, but even that's being shoved aside a bit now that the new school year's started._**

 ** _But just because real life is beginning to push this to the sidelines doesn't mean I'm going to stop. I love writing these stories, I love seeing your comments, and I love the stories themselves. They're my babies, and every time I post a new chapter it's like I'm watching them grow up._**

 ** _Consider this story "A Tale of Twin Dragon"'s younger but more mature twin-sibling, like Rhea is to Yang in both stories. Both stories will be continuing, but this one will be following a separate, independent path._**

 ** _Don't misunderstand: certain elements will remain the same. I'm just going to tweak certain relationships and outcomes, and Rhea's not going to be as strong as she is in "A Tale of Twin Dragons". She's going to be powerful, of course, as she was raised by someone as strict and disciplined as Raven appears to be, but I'm going to have aura play a much bigger factor._**

 ** _I know how much a lot of you love the original story, but please: bear with me in this little experiment and just give it a chance. I promise, it won't disappoint you._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	2. Taken From the Nest

**_"They're beautiful."_**

 ** _"Indeed."_**

"I know that people say this a lot..." Taiyang Xiao-Long smiled, giving a short, quiet laugh as he looked down at a shape wrapped in yellow in his arms. "But wow, we made some great-looking kids."

"Really?" Raven Branwen asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking. Then, she looked down at a baby-blue bundle in her arms. "I think we'd better let Qrow and Summer in. If we don't, they'll probably explode."

"In that case, let's only let _Summer_ in."

"Tai..."

"I know, I know..." Taiyang looked up at a nurse and smiled, nodding. "Let 'em in. They are godparents, after all." The nurse nodded, beaming, then walked over to the door and opened it.

"You may- AH!" The nurse shrieked as a burst of white rose-petals and a crow darted into the room, her eyes wide as they changed into a woman in a white cloak and a man in grey and blood-red. "W-what..?"

"EEEEE!" Summer Rose, the woman in white, squealed in delight. "Twins! Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! What gender are they?! What are their names?! Oh my GOSH..!"

"Summer, please." Raven tried, smiling tiredly. "We already told you that they were twins and that they were both girls after the sonogram. And as for names... We haven't decided, yet." Raven looked up at her brother with a raised eyebrow. "You seem awfully calm."

"Yep."

"... How drunk are you?"

"Very." Qrow assured, smirking woozily and holding up a flask. Raven rolled her eyes.

"You are the worst."

"You know you love me... Remember tradition: bird names for good luck."

"Good luck?" Raven deadpanned heavily. Qrow shot a glare at her.

"You know what I mean."

"My family has a tradition with names, too." Taiyang announced, frowning. "We have to have a _yin_ or _yang_ in our name. It helps with inner balance."

"Bird names and a yin or yang?" Summer asked, folding her hands and looking worried. "How will you possibly do it?" Raven scoffed, rolling her eyes once more.

"Easily. Let me see that one." She ordered, and Taiyang handed her the yellow bundle. Raven reached up and pulled the tops of both bundles aside, revealing that one child had blonde hair and lilac eyes and one had black hair and blue eyes. The yellow-haired child was laughing, a rare occurrence for a newborn. But even stranger, the black-haired child was perfectly silent, her blue eyes looking around with a surprising amount of perception. Raven looked between them, then nodded. "The blonde will be Yang Niao Xiao-Long. _Niao_ means _bird_ , so it counts."

"Does it?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow. Raven shot a brief glare at him, then looked down at the other baby.

"... She will be Rhea Yin Branwen." She announced quietly, smiling softly. "I can already tell that she will be her mother's daughter."

"And Yang will be her father's daughter." Taiyang grinned, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "I can see it now. Yang will be my _Sunny Little Dragon_ , and Rhea will be-"

"My _Little Bird_."

"Um..." Summer twiddled her thumbs, looking nervous. "Are you two picking favorites?"

"Of course not." Taiyang waved it off. "Who could possibly love one of their kids more than the other?"

Summer and Taiyang laughed at the ridiculous-seeming notion, Taiyang scooping Yang up once more, but Qrow watched Raven with narrowed eyes and she cradled Rhea, smiling down at the child fondly.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Taiyang yawned, walking into a room in his and Raven's cabin late that night. He smiled fondly, seeing two cradles, walking over and looking down at the child in the yellow cradle.

"Yang Xiao-Long." He said the name softly. "You are going to be extraordinary." The proud father looked over at the blue cradle, smiling just as brightly as he walked over. "And you, Rhea Branwen, are-" Taiyang looked down into the cradle, and his eyes widened. It was empty. "What?"

"Tai?" A voice asked, and Taiyang looked back to see a forlorn-looking Qrow standing in the doorway. "Summer went after her. I... I couldn't stop her." The blonde's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Couldn't stop who?"

"... I'm sorry." Qrow bowed his head. Taiyang's eyes widened, and he ran over, pushing past Qrow and running through the house.

"Raven?! RAVEN!"

* * *

Raven stood on a cliffside in the distance, holding a blue bundle to her chest, her eyes narrowed as she slowly backed towards the cliff.

"Raven..." Summer slowly stepped forward, her silver eyes wide. "Please. Just come back to the cabin. We can talk this out, we-"

"Sorry, Fearless Leader." Raven smirked, drawing a large, red blade. "But it is I who will be a leader, now. And someday... My Little Bird will be, too."

"Raven?" Summer asked, confused. Raven stepped closer to the cliff, and her teammate's eyes widened further. "Raven, don't!" The red-wearing sword wielder stepped off the cliff as Summer ran forward, falling to her knees and looking down over the cliff with horror as Raven fell into a red vortex. "RAVEN!"

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Taiyang sat on the cliff in the morning, staring down at the forest below with an empty look in his eyes.

"Hey." A voice spoke. Taiyang didn't look up as Summer sat down next to him, cradling a crying yellow bundle. "I... I think she misses her mother."

"... That's not it." Taiyang shook his head, sighing before looking up and frowning, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Raven barely even held her. It's... It's Rhea she misses."

"Rhea?"

"I can tell that Qrow feels it, too." Taiyang looked down, his eyes narrowing. "Twins, being separated... It's not something that's supposed to happen."

"Yeah." Summer looked down, then she looked up. "We'll find her, Tai. We'll find Raven, and we'll find Rhea. I promise."

"... Thanks, Sum." Taiyang looked at his leader, smiling fondly as the silver-eyed woman beamed. Yang stopped crying as her father took her into his arms, shushing her softly. "It's okay, kiddo. We'll find them... We'll find both of them."

* * *

Raven walked through a forest, speaking to a man in black and red.

"I'll raise her myself, keep her away from the Tribe until she is strong enough by herself to join us." The bandit-queen assured. "I trust that you will keep the Tribe safe whenever I am away?"

"You have my word, m'lady... I must ask, why not take the elder?"

"... She cried." Raven replied simply. "When she was first born, she cried. And then she laughed. Rhea was silent, analytical, untrusting... She will make a fine leader, someday."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\/\_**

 **Nearly Eighteen Years Later**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Yang Xiao-Long stared at Rhea Branwen with wide eyes, having frozen up. Her fists were clenched, her lilac eyes were unblinking, and observers couldn't even tell if she was breathing.

Rhea's expression was forlorn, and she gazed at her twin with sorrow in her sapphire-blue eyes, then she gasped and looked back as the flaming roof began to give, burning rubble beginning to fall all around the four inhabitants of Beacon Academy's ruined cafeteria.

"We need to get out of here!" The girl announced, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked back at her twin. "Now!" Rhea darted over and grabbed Yang's wrist, dragging the stumbling Blonde Brawler out of the building as Qrow Branwen and Blake Belladonna followed them.

They cleared the building just as it collapsed, Rhea shoving Yang forward as Blake and Qrow darted past her, drawing an ice-Dust blade and driving it into the ground, creating a wall of icy spikes to block the resulting wave of embers, flames, and shrapnel from harming the four.

The danger staved off for the moment, Rhea sighed in relief and stood up straight, sheathing her blade and brushing herself off, removing the ash from her clothes. The blue-wearing sword-wielder turned back, only to find Yang Xiao-Long facing her, her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed and tinting red.

"Who are you, Rhea Branwen?" She asked coldly, her surprise ebbing and her suspicion returning. Rhea bowed her head, sighing and shaking her head once more.

"I was born nearly eighteen years ago, on October eleventh. My mother is Raven Branwen." Rhea looked up as Yang's eyes widened once more. "My father is Taiyang Xiao-Long. My godfather and uncle is Qrow Branwen. My godmother was Summer Rose. My half-sister is Ruby Rose... And my older, twin sister is Yang Xiao-Long."

It was all silent for a moment, then Yang actually laughed shakily, raising her hand near the girl's face and examining her, shaking her head at the ridiculous notion. A sister, another sister. One who looked like her mother but with their father's eyes, who was her younger twin.

"I-I can't believe it..." She stared, then she dropped her hand and shook her head, her eyes narrowing. "This is impossible! Dad would have told me!" Rhea crossed her arms.

"Just like our mother told me about you?" She asked somewhat snippily, then she calmed down. "... It's pretty obvious that you don't know much about Raven." Rhea looked down. "I hardly know anything about Taiyang."

"But why?! Why did Raven leave?! Why did she take you, and not me?!"

"She left because she had a duty to our people." Rhea replied, her eyes narrowing. "She became the leader of our Tribe, our family, and she could only have one heir. From what I could gather from her, you were always our father's favorite... So, when she left, she took me. It was a simple descision."

"But... But you're the leader of this Tribe, now." Yang blinked a few times, stunned. "You and Raven are part of some sort of crazy secret tribe, and you're leading it."

"I dueled our mother for the Tribe, and I won." Rhea nodded, her eyes narrowing. "After I learned what she had done, I refused to allow her to manipulate my life any further, at least not in such a drastic way. She would not be my leader, she would be my second-in-command. She would fulfill her Right of One, and she would not interfere when it was my turn."

The way she spoke, it was like how one would expect royalty to speak. But not the cliché, snotty or overly self-righteous sort of royalty. It was elegant and serious, but there was emotion - care and determination and anger and a hint of sadness - that one would expect with great responsibility.

Yang found herself believing every word rather easily. She believed that this girl, she was a powerful fighter who was somehow capable of facing down Raven Branwen and coming out on top. She believed that this girl led a tribe, probably a tribe of powerful warriors from how she carried herself, and she followed its traditions even though she didn't agree with them and wanted some to change.

And Yang believed that this girl was the daughter of Taiyang Xiao-Long and Raven Branwen, the goddaughter and niece of Qrow Branwen, the goddaughter of Summer Rose, the elder half-sister of Ruby Rose, and...

"Y-you're r-really..?" Yang asked, her eyes tearing up slightly. "You're r-really my...?" Yang reached out again. "My... My sister?" Rhea hesitated, then nodded and smiled.

"I am."

"... Oh my gods." Yang stepped forward and pulled the girl into a hug. Rhea's sapphire-blue eyes widened in surprise, then she deadpanned in annoyance. But, after a long moment, she sighed and hugged back.

"It's... It's nice to meet you, sister." Rhea spoke quietly, closing her eyes and resting her face on Yang's shoulder. Yang nodded, smiling through her tears.

"It's nice to m-meet you, t-too!"

"This is crazy." Blake stared at the two, astonished. Qrow nodded, crossing his arms.

"'Course it is. I'm just glad that they've finally met."

"You..." Yang pulled away from Rhea, her eyes narrowing and glowing red. "YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?!"

"... Shit."

* * *

 ** _I'm not gonna lie._**

 ** _I actually considered calling this chapter "'How to Dig Your Own Grave' by Qrow Branwen". XD_**

 ** _But... That would have ruined the altogether serious-feel that I'm going for._**

 ** _As you can tell - at least, if you've read "A Tale of Twin Dragons" -, I've added the first major change to Rhea's backstory: Raven didn't really regret leaving Taiyang. I made this change due to the Volume Four reveal of the Tribe's existence and Raven's strong loyalty to it._**

 ** _So... Yeah._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	3. Stretching Wings

**_"Whoa."_**

A young girl of around the age of seven with long, feathery black hair and bright blue eyes kneeled on a cliffside, holding the grass near the edge as she peered over, down at the forest below.

She was wearing black leggings, black boots, a simple dark-blue knee-length dress, and a black denim jacket, and she blinked several times as she gazed at the long drop.

"Are you ready?" A voice asked, and the girl looked back as Raven Branwen stepped out of the forest behind her, placing a hand on her hip. The girl bit her lower lip nervously, looking back over the edge.

"I-I don't know. It's so far..."

"You'll be fine." Raven waved it off. "I was three when my father dropped me off this very same cliff. I had to unlock my aura and change form, so for you: it should be simple."

"B-but-!"

"Rhea." Raven gave a small smile. "You can do this." Rhea looked up at her mother, her eyes wide, then she smiled and nodded, her eyes narrowing in determination.

"Okay!" Rhea stood and backed up several paces, a smirk growing on her face as she readied to charge. She was ready, she could do this! She would make her mother proud!

Rhea suddenly charged with a burst of speed, heading straight for the cliffside, going as fast as her legs would carry her. Which was, surprisingly, very fast.

 ** _"Remember..."_**

Rhea's fists clenched, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she ran towards the ledge.

 ** _"To become a bird, you must think like a bird..."_**

Black feathers slowly began to rise off of Rhea's hair.

 ** _"And to truly think like a bird, you must accept one thing..."_**

She was at the edge of the cliff, and she wasn't stopping.

 ** _"You are limitless, my Little Bird..."_**

Rhea jumped.

 ** _"You are free."_**

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **Nearly Eleven Years Later**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

A red-eyed, flaming Yang Xiao-Long yelled in rage and charged at her uncle, only for Rhea to step in the way. Yang's eyes narrowed dangerously as she stopped herself.

"Move!"

"No." Rhea replied, crossing her arms and frowning as she stood between the Blonde Brawler and Qrow Branwen. "I asked him not to tell you." Yang blinked a few times in surprise. "You're not supposed to know about me. If the Tribe were to find out that I defied the Right of One and stayed after saving you, they could cast me out and all of my work would be for naught."

"But, aren't you their leader?" Blake asked, stepping forward. Rhea shrugged, shaking her head.

"Tradition is tradition, and without someone they trust to teach them that some of the tradition is wrong, they will follow it blindly."

"Sounds like a real party." Yang crossed her arms, deadpanning slightly. Rhea managed a small chuckle.

"You don't know the half of it... I'll escort you back to the docks, then I must leave."

"What?!" Yang reached over and grabbed her arm, her eyes wide. "You can't go, not yet! You're my sister! I want to know more about you, I want to know you!"

"... I know." Rhea sighed, giving a forlorn expression. "But the time for that has not yet arrived. I must change the Tribe first, in order to ensure that it will be safe."

"But-!"

"Yang." Qrow stepped forward, frowning. "Your sister is right. The Tribe will lash out. On you, and on her." Yang gazed at him for a long moment, then she released Rhea's arm, her eyes narrowed.

"I will never forgive you, or Dad, for keeping this a secret."

"... I know."

* * *

Rhea decapitated a Beowolf as she led the other three down the path toward the ships. Her eyes were narrowed, her teeth gritted, like she was making an effort to put on a mask of determination and anger.

Inside, Rhea Branwen was screaming.

"So..." Yang walked up and began walking next to Rhea, her hands folded behind her back. "What's Mom like?" Rhea tensed, then sighed and shook her head.

' _Our mother is a manipulative bitch who you shouldn't waste a moment of thought upon._ '

"She's... Eccentric." Rhea phrased her next few words carefully. "She does her best to be supportive, but she's a bit-"

"Bitchy!" Qrow coughed into his hand. Rhea shot a deadpan-glare back at him, and Qrow gestured to himself, his eyes wide as he feigned innocence. "Huh? Whatcha lookin' at me for? I didn't say anything." Rhea rolled her eyes and looked back at Yang.

"Well... He is right. She is a bit of a bitch."

"I kinda figured. I mean, she did abandon me."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg."

"... Exactly what kind of Tribe did she lead?"

"Bandits, murderers, arsonists, anarchists-" Qrow began listing all of the types of people in the Tribe, with Blake and Yang's eyes widening as Rhea deadpanned. "And don't even get me started on the sociopaths!"

"I told you that I'm working on it!" Rhea snapped, looking back at him with a glare. "If you keep talking like that, maybe I'll just have to revoke your invitation to come back!"

"As if I was going to accept it."

"... They miss you, Qrow." Rhea looked forward, her eyes narrowing. "From what they've told me... It was never the same, after you left." Qrow blinked a few times in surprise, then he sighed.

"Whatever."

* * *

The quartet eventually arrived at the docks, Blake and Yang running over and checking on their friends: Weiss Schnee, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, and Sun Wukong, among others.

Rhea and Qrow stood at a distance, Rhea watching with her hand on the hilt of her blade, her eyes narrowed as she looked around the area carefully.

"... Where's Ruby?" Rhea finally asked, looking at Qrow. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't know." The man admitted, Rhea's eyes widening as she turned back towards Beacon, grabbing her hilt and preparing to draw a blade. "She'll be fine. Ruby's a tough thing."

"She's fifteen, she's all alone, and-!"

"Weiss! Blake! Yang!" A voice shouted, a flash of red darting past Rhea and Qrow. Ruby Rose crushed her teammate's in a hug, smiling brightly and laughing in relief. "You're all okay!"

"You dolt!" Weiss hugged Ruby, then pulled away and crossed her arms. "Where have you been?!"

"Uh... It's a long story." Ruby smiled awkwardly, picking up her dog, Zwei. "... Yang, what's wrong?"

"Ruby, everyone..." Yang and Blake exchanged glances. "We have our own long story." Rhea immediately tensed and took a step back, but Qrow grabbed her arm.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow. Yang turned and walked over to Qrow and Rhea, Rhea violently shaking her head as Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulders and made her turn to face the crowd of students and teachers. The way they stood made it easy to compare their similar appearances.

"Ruby..." Yang gestured to Rhea, smiling awow ardor. "Meet my younger twin, and your older sister: Rhea Branwen."

* * *

 ** _Well... Looks like Yang got a little bit too excited, and now: lots of people know about Rhea. This probably won't end well..._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	4. Blue Trailer-Meeting on the Battlefield

**_Betrayal shatters every heart. Mine was reforged with ice._**

Two figures in dark clothing stood on a rooftop, gazing down at an old warehouse, watching the men come and go and the guards prime their guns.

"Ready?" The elder, dressed in red and black with eyes like blood asked quietly, even though she already knew the answer. The younger, dressed in black and turquoise with eyes like sapphires, nodded.

With that, the two figures turned into birds.

* * *

In the warehouse, a man _tsk_ ed as he walked among row upon row and stack upon stack of cages, shaking his head as he gazed into each one.

"Dead, dead..." He frowned, then heard a cough from one of the curled-up forms and fired his gun. "Dead. Dead, dead, dead..." A sickening smirk grew on his face. "Well, you're a stubborn little freak, aren't you?"

"L-leave me alone." A boy's voice shouted, followed by some small coughs. "I-I'm a person, like you!"

"You wish." The man smirked, not noticing the tiny figure landing behind him. "As if a freak like you was anything like-" The man yelled in pain and surprise as he was tripped, his head slamming into the ground. He was knocked out instantly, revealing a girl around the age of twelve standing behind him.

The girl was of average height and weight for an athletic girl of her age, and she had big blue eyes and long, feathery black hair that was pulled over her left shoulder in a low side-ponytail held by a dark-blue ribbon. She wore black jeans, black combat-boots, a black belt with a dark-blue buckle that held the large silver sheath for some sort of weapon to her left hip and some small black punches on her right, black fingerless-gloves, a black choker, and a dark-blue blouse. She was wearing some black mascara that made her eyelashes stand out, along with some lightly-applied black eyeshadow and black eyeliner that brought attention to her eyes.

She dropped a rusted shovel, shrugging lightly as she looked down at the man with a light expression of surprise - like she wasn't expecting the tactic to work -, then she ran over to the cage, reaching for the right side of her belt. The boy growled and lunged, the girl barely backing away in time to avoid any injury.

"Get away from me, human!" The boy glared, livid. The girl blinked, then rolled her eyes, pulling something small and silver from her belt.

A lock pick.

"Do you want to get rescued or not?" The girl asked, annoyed. The boy glared, but he backed away from the cage door, the girl going over and picking the lock. In a few moments, the boy was free. "Are there any others?"

"... No. Just me." The boy replied, still suspicious. He hadn't moved to exit the cage. The girl shook her head, sighing ruefully.

"We were too late... Come on. My mother will buy us time, but we need to get in a more open area before I can get us out of here."

"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"What kind of trick? Also, don't you know a rescue when you see one?" The girl asked snippily, raising an eyebrow. A moment passed, then her forlorn expression returned and she held her right hand out. "My name is Rhea, Rhea Branwen."

The boy hesitated for a moment, then stepped out of the cage and into the light. He was around thirteen or fourteen, he wore torn black clothes, and he had red eyes and red hair. Two defining features were the two bull-horns that almost blended into his wild hair.

"Adam Taurus." The boy replied, clenching his fists at his sides. Rhea nodded in acknowledgement, then grabbed his left hand and started running, pulling the surprised older boy along behind her.

* * *

The children made it outside, then gasped as they saw at least a dozen men aiming guns at them. It only got worse as Adam collapsed, too weak to carry on.

"Hey!" Rhea looked back at him, her eyes wide. "Are you okay?!" Adam looked up at her, wincing and gripping his side.

"R-run..."

"Now listen here, _Missy_." A man smirked cruelly, stepping forward, and Rhea looked back at the men. "If you just step aside and allow us to take back our property, you can walk away from this without a scratch." Rhea's hand immediately went to her sheath, and she drew a large blade of Ice-Dust.

"All people are created equal." Rhea announced, glaring venemously as she stepped between the men and the bull-Faunus. "If you want him, come and get him." Adam looked up at her from the ground, his eyes widening.

"W-what are you doing?!" He asked the girl, terrified. "They'll kill you!" The girl looked back, giving a light smirk.

"I'd like to see them try."

...

 ** _It was just fine._**

 ** _We lived in peace,_**

 ** _Looked to a happy ending._**

...

The men charged, but Rhea stabbed her blade into the ground, creating an icy slick to make them slip and slide. The girl ran across the ice with no problem, drawing a blade of plain Hardsteel and swiping it at their legs, knocking them out from under them and sending the man sliding across the ice.

...

 ** _The days were bright,_**

 ** _They shined like gold._**

 ** _Every step ascending..._**

...

The men looked up as Rhea slashed with a red blade of Fire-Dust, creating a thick shroud of steam to use as a cloak. The lead-man looked around, his eyes narrowed.

"Where did she go?!"

Meanwhile, Rhea grabbed Adam's shoulders and was pulling him away from the steam where the men were still wandering, grunting slightly in effort as she pulled the boy across the dirt.

"W-we have to run..." Adam tried, looking up at her. Rhea kneeled and helped him sit up, then actually shook her head.

"No."

"What?!"

"If we leave, these men get away and can do what they did to you to more innocent people." Rhea announced coldly, and Adam's eyes widened. "I won't let them get away with this, and I won't let you have to go through life wondering if they'll come back for you... I've got this."

"But-!"

"Stay here." Rhea ordered, then her expression softened. "And stay safe, okay?"

Rhea stood, taking a few steps back as the boy watched her with astonisment, then she gave a small smile and a nod before turning and running back, vanishing into the swirling steam.

...

 ** _Our dreams came true,_**

 ** _Our path was clear._**

 ** _The moon watched safely from above..._**

...

The men were still wandering around in the steam, looking around for the girl in blue with their weapons raised. That's when a man screamed as he was pulled into the steam.

Then, another one went.

And another.

Another.

...

 ** _But every smile_**

 ** _Is not the same,_**

 ** _And every heart's not filled with..._**

...

The steam dissipated, revealing four unconscious men and a livid little girl with a green blade of Wind-Dust drawn and ready, the child prepared for an attack. The remaining ten men glared, and the leader pointed.

"Get her!" He shouted, his eyes narrowing in rage as he bared his teeth. "Make that stupid little bitch pay for what she's done!"

...

 ** _Love for mankind!_**

 ** _Look around, it's getting very hard to find!_**

 ** _Not every open wound is simply healed by time,_**

 ** _But revenge is always sweet,_**

 ** _And chaos is the prize!_**

...

The men started firing their guns at her, but Rhea deflected the shots back, injuring two. Then, she flicked her blade and sent a green cyclone of wind at the men, throwing them back.

Adam stared at the battle, astounded by the display of bravery and power shown by the young girl in blue and even more astonished by the fact that she was doing it for him and Faunus like him, for all of those who had suffered at the hands of those men. For people like his parents.

...

 ** _Feel it everywhere and you see it growing._**

 ** _Enemies arise and the hate is flowing,_**

 ** _Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky!_**

...

The lead man stood and fired, catching the girl in the side. Her aura protected her, but she looked up, even angrier as the remaining eight men faced her.

Rhea drew her Ice-Dust blade and gave them no time to attack, charging by herself instead and tripping three men with the blunt side of her blade, their heads slamming into the ground as she ran past. Due to lack of an unlocked aura, they were instantly knocked out.

...

 ** _The machines of war will fuel both sides,_**

 ** _And the greed will only grow more lies!_**

 ** _Farewell to days of peace, 'cause now it's time to die..!_**

...

Rhea faced the remaining five men, noticing Adam slumping over, unconscious in the background. Her eyes were slowly shifting from blue to violet, but she shook the red haze off and tried to focus.

"You're going to get it now, _Missy_." The leader growled lowly, livid. Rhea couldn't help but let a smirk cross her face, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"I doubt that."

...

 ** _Where did it go?_**

 ** _Our peaceful youth_**

 ** _Seems to be gone forever!_**

...

"What kind of kid are you?!" Another man asked, his eyes wide. Instead of an answer, he got Rhea's boot in his face, the back of his head slamming into the ground as Rhea looked at the remaining four.

"I'm a Branwen."

...

 ** _And in its place:_**

 ** _A life of war!_**

 ** _Every truce has severed!_**

...

The girl leapt up and changed into a bird, screeching as she flew overhead, dodging bullets. Then, she swooped down and used her talons to leave four large scratches across the leader's face.

...

 ** _We'll live our lives_**

 ** _Watching our backs,_**

 ** _Not knowing who to trust or fear!_**

...

"That child is a demon!" A man screamed, and three ran off. Rhea landed and transformed, the battle now between her and the leader of the operation.

The head of the Faunus Slave Trade.

...

 ** _The hate just swallows all the love,_**

 ** _And all the_**

 ** _Truth will disappear..._**

...

Rhea gave a yell as she charged, the man enraged as he watched her come for him. But he was also ready, and he brought the butt of his gun down on the girl's head, kicking her back.

The girl stumbled, and he ran forward and slammed the butt of his gun into her stomach before shooting her, her aura taking the attack but the girl flying back and hitting the ground, grunting in pain.

...

 ** _Lost and blind..._**

 ** _Seems our dreams of peace have all been left behind!_**

 ** _It's always said white clouds aren't always silver lined,_**

 ** _But the future's looking bleak,_**

 ** _And the storm is set to rise!_**

...

Rhea slowly climbed to her feet. She looked up, her eyes now glowing a hate-filled red.

' _What is this anger, inside of me?_ ' Her rational side managed to ask. ' _It's so strange... But I like it._ ' Rhea raised her blade, feeling a wicked smirk cross her lips as those crimson eyes narrowed. ' _This will be fun..._ '

...

 ** _Say goodbye._**

 ** _Time to die._**

 ** _Say goodbye._**

 ** _Just say goodbye._**

 ** _Time to die..!_**

...

Rhea gave a yell of rage and charged, slashing the man with her blade several times and sending him flying back. His aura protected him, but his eyes had widened in disbelief.

' _She's grown stronger._ ' He thought to himself, stunned as he began fighting back again. ' _How is this possible?!_ ' He landed a punch to the right side of Rhea's head, but it didn't seem to affect her.

Until she saw that he pulled his hand away after the attack, bringing several strands of black hair with it.

...

 ** _Feel it everywhere and you see it growing!_**

 ** _Enemies arise and the hate is flowing,_**

 ** _Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky!_**

...

Rhea's howl of rage was almost animalistic, and she charged at the man as he actually cowered in fear. Had just pulling her hair out by accident really caused her to lose her senses?!

The girl reared her left fist back as her whole body briefly flashed with blue light, her eyes still glowing crimson as she bared her teeth.

...

 ** _The machines of war will fuel both sides,_**

 ** _And the greed will only grow more lies!_**

 ** _Farewell to days of peace, 'cause now it's time to die..!_**

...

Rhea's fist made contact with the leader's stomach, and there was a resounding crack as the man was sent flying into the wall of his own warehouse, going through it and crashing into the cages. The cages fell, and something happened in there that caused the warehouse to explode.

"Whoa!" Rhea stepped back, her eyes widening in disbelief. ' _I just... Killed that man._ ' Rhea looked down at her hands. ' _I was so angry... And I liked it..._ '

...

 ** _Die!_**

 ** _Die!_**

 ** _Die..!_**

...

Rhea suddenly faltered, a weariness taking over her entire body, and she looked down, taking a deep breath. She panted lightly with her head bowed and her eyes closed, seeming to be very tired in the wake of the fighting, then she picked up her sheath and turned, facing away from the flaming warehouse as another explosion went off.

Her mother stood there, watching with a raised eyebrow. Raven didn't entirely understand where Rhea's second-wind had come from, but knowing that her daughter was capable of raw strength had her mildly impressed.

"Excellent work, Rhea. Go on ahead, back to camp. I'll finish up things, here." The woman sounded somewhat proud. Rhea gave a small nod, smiling through her exhaustion.

"Alright." The girl went over and pulled Adam onto her shoulders, using a free hand to draw a dark-turquoise blade and slash a portal. "Come on, big guy. I'll patch you up."

"And Rhea?" Raven inquired, and Rhea looked back. Her mother had her back turned to her. "... Showing your exhaustion is a sign of weakness. Never lower your guard like that ever again."

"... Yes, Mother." Rhea nodded, frowning slightly. Raven nodded in response, and with that, the children vanished through the portal.

The woman in red looked around, then drew a blade of Fire-Dust.

* * *

Adam shifted, then woke up, letting out a small groan of pain as he sat up. He opened his eyes, wearily noticing a cheery campfire with some sort of animal cooking on it.

"Huh..?"

"Hey!" A voice greeted, and Adam jolted, looking up to see a smiling Rhea. "You woke up a lot faster than I thought you would. I'm just glad you stayed sleeping while I patched you up!"

"W-what?"

"You were hurt kinda bad." Rhea admitted, and Adam looked down, pulling his shirt up to reveal bandages wrapped around his abdomen. He could smell various medicines and antiseptics, and he looked up at Rhea with wide eyes.

"W-why?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you rescue me?" He asked, stunned. Rhea and Adam stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, then Rhea managed to smile as she replied.

"Why not?" She asked, and Adam's eyes widened further. Then, he slowly smiled back..

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **Nearly Six Years Later**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Weiss Schnee, the friends that had gathered on the docks, and Ruby Rose stared at the new arrival. Rhea Branwen's eyes darted around suspiciously, her hand still on the hilt of her blade, then she took a deep breath and looked at Ruby, managing to give a small smile as she spoke.

"Hello, Ruby."

"... You're my..?" Ruby stared at the girl with wide eyes, stunned. Rhea slowly nodded, then Ruby suddenly squealed in delight and hugged her, knocking Yang Xiao-Long's arm off from around Rhea's shoulders. "Two big sisters! This is so COOOOOOL!"

Yang hugged the both of them, the three daughters of Taiyang Xiao-Long united at last. Yang gave a small half-laugh, hugging the two of them tighter.

"Yeah... It's cool..."

"... She's also the leader of a tribe of robbers and murderers." Qrow Branwen deadpanned heavily. Rhea looked up at him, glaring.

"They're getting better!"

"Still haven't removed the Right of One."

"Better, as in NOT PERFECT." Rhea stated, pulling away from Ruby and Yang and crossing her arms. "Another few months, and maybe they will be... As long as I can get some of the more idiotic tribesmen to follow orders properly." Rhea scowled, her eyes briefly darting to the side. "Godsdamnit, Kyle..."

"Whoa!" Sun Wukong walked over and crossed his arms, surprised as he looked Rhea up and down. "So, you're like a darker, edgier, crazy version of Yang?" Rhea looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Crazy?"

The question came out simply enough, but Rhea had once-again adopted the scary, commanding tone of a tribe-leader and battle-hardened warrior. Her eyes had narrowed, glinting slightly, and while that gesture didn't appear to be truly threatening, it sent shivers down the spines of everyone within a four-yard radius. The temperature actually seemed to drop...

What would happen if she became truly angry?

"You are..." Sun pointed at her, smiling nervously as he backed away. "VERY scary."

Ruby and Yang exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing. Yes, this newfound sister of theirs was a bit scary. But there was something about her, something that told them that she didn't really mean it. She wasn't a bad person, she just seemed...

Well, Blake once phrased the situation as _misguided_.

Yang knew that Rhea cared about people - she was there because she was trying to protect her after all, and she had escorted her and Blake and Qrow to that place to make sure that they were safe - and she knew that there was something wrong with this Tribe. Sure, Rhea led them, but it was obvious that Rhea was also terrified of them and determined to follow their traditions in order to keep them in line.

Just imagining that made Yang a little bit sick. She had a younger sister who was pretty much being held hostage by fear, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Rhea had to fight that war alone, and while Yang was against it, she was slowly beginning to understand that this was a war that she had fought for her entire life and managed to win several battles in.

Why would she lose, now?

"... Thanks." Rhea deadpanned heavily, then she looked up at the Grimm-Dragon that was circling the school. A smirk slowly formed on her face. "What a battle... Excuse me, for a moment."

"Wait..." Yang raised an eyebrow, Ruby looking just as confused. "What?"

Rhea suddenly darted forward, drawing her dark-blue blade and slashing it before her, creating a swirling portal that she entered. As the vortex vanished, Qrow sighed and drew a flask.

"Great. Just like her mother..."

A portal appeared in the air above Beacon, Rhea falling out and landing on the Grimm-Dragon's back, running across its spine with a blade of red fire-Dust, hacking at the flesh exposed between the armor plates.

"She's nuts!" Neptune Vasilias shouted, his eyes wide while Qrow nonchalantly took a swig from his flask. "There's no way that she can take that thing down!"

"If she can beat Raven..." Qrow's eyes narrowed dangerously as he lowered his flask and looked up at the fight. "I wouldn't put it past her."

* * *

 ** _Well... How about that?_**

 ** _I made several changes to the "Blue Trailer", as it is known in "A Tale of Twin Dragons", including Rhea being a bit more resourceful and careful about protecting the person she's rescued, along with that being the night she began to discover her semblance._**

 ** _Like I promised, I worked more on her relationships, this time around. We know that she's extremely obedient to Raven - her mother - and also a little bit afraid of her, and we see her attempting to forge a friendship with Adam - the first person she's met who's even remotely close to her age - even though she doesn't really know how to act truly "friendly" due to her mother's influence._**

 ** _I've also tried to develop her reckless side a bit more. It was something hinted at in "A Tale of Twin Dragons" that I didn't really do a good job of showing._**

 ** _So... Yeah._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	5. The Bird & the Bull Pt 1 - The Bond

**_"What is it that you desire most?"_**

 ** _"... I never want to be vulnerable or afraid, ever again."_**

 ** _"Hmm... Rhea?"_**

 ** _"Yes, Mother?"_**

 ** _"I will be taking on a second apprentice. But first, you will teach him everything you know."_**

 ** _"Understood."_**

Adam Taurus, age fifteen, stood in the middle of a forest clearing. He drew a crimson blade from a black sheath, glaring at an army of invisible foes, a mixture of men from the warehouse where he was held prisoner and the _Schnee Dust Company_ mines where his people suffered all standing before him in his mind.

He was wearing long black pants, black shoes, a red t-shirt, and a black hoodie - a temporary outfit, Raven had assured him, until he was ready for true hunter-attire. He seemed healthier now, clean and properly fed, and he seemed... Stronger.

Adam suddenly growled and swiped his blade, glaring as the powerful strike sent ripples through the air. He continued, swiping and slashing again and again, imagining each of the men being brought down by his hand, paying for their crimes and suffering for what they had put his people through.

He would do it someday, make them pay, make them suffer. He'd subjugate them, make them his slaves, tear down all that they had built and burn it to ashes, smirk without pity as they cried for theirs loss and their sins...

"Whoa!" A turquoise blade suddenly blocked Adam's, and he shook out of it and looked up to see a thirteen year-old Rhea Branwen grinning at him. "Careful! I designed that thing to be deadly! If you keep going into trances like that, you could hurt someone on accident."

She was dressed in the same way she was the night they met, minus the makeup. Adam had seen her without it a few times, and he'd decided that he liked how she looked better without it. She seemed more real when she wasn't trying to look scary or intimidating.

"R-right." Adam shook his head, stepping back and lowering his blade. Then, he put on the mask of a deadpan, looking at the younger girl who had been teaching him for the last few months since he recovered and decided to stay. "I still don't see why you named them _Wilt_ and _Blush_. They seem like such wussy names."

"Well... I guess that'll just be my little secret." Rhea winked at him, smirking, and Adam blinked before his deadpan returned. "So, did you miss me?"

"You were gone?"

"Wow, that makes me feel just great." Rhea rolled her eyes, giving her own deadpan before looking at Adam. "Didn't you hear me when I told you that my mother was dragging me along on another mission? We had to take out some gang in Mistral's capital. There were a few close calls, she even had to take out a guy I didn't see before he could shoot at me, but she was acting the same when the mission ended, so it's probably okay. Everyone makes mistakes, right?"

"Right... When do I get to start going on missions with you?"

"When you can hold a sword right."

"Hey!"

"No, I'm serious." Rhea stepped forward, and Adam stepped back. Rhea blinked, then she looked up, their eyes meeting and their gazes holding for several moments. Adam's eyes had narrowed slightly in suspicion, and Rhea frowned. "... I'm not like those men, Adam. You know that by now, right?"

"I'm never going to trust a human. You know that by now, right?" Adam mocked, then he frowned as Rhea's expression briefly flashed with hurt. "... What do you mean? How am I supposed to hold it?"

"Well..." Rhea tentatively stepped forward, and Adam didn't react. Slowly, the girl walked over and gestured for Adam to draw his blade, then she somewhat-awkwardly reached over and gently took his hand, shifting the blade and his hand until his hold on it was different, then she pulled away. "There. Isn't that a bit better?"

"Yeah, actually." Adam blinked, surprised, then he looked down at the girl. She was the closest she'd been to him since that night when he woke up to see her tending to his wounds, after she saved him... "Rhea, why does Raven make you go on all of these missions?"

"I don't know, really." Rhea admitted, rubbing one arm with the opposite hand. "Whenever I used to ask, she'd just... I know better than to ask, now. I just sort of go with the flow, these days... At least some good usually comes out of the missions, you know?"

"Like what?"

"Stopping bad guys, fighting Grimm, helping people... And I got to meet and get to know someone besides my mother, and he's actually around my age and hates doing everything she says just as much as I do, which is a bonus." Rhea gave a light grin. Adam raised an eyebrow.

"You mean to say that, before me, you never met anyone else who was your age?"

"Before you, I never really met anyone." Rhea shrugged lightly, a little embarrassed as Adam blinked. "It's just been me and Mom for as long as I can remember."

"What about your dad, or other members of your family?"

"Like I said, there are some subjects that I've learned to know better than to ask about."

"How? What could Raven possibly do to you?"

"I-"

The two teens turned as a red vortex suddenly appeared in the air, Raven Branwen stepping out and removing her mask. Her red eyes fell on Adam, and she nodded in approval.

"I see that you've kept up with your practicing in our absence, and it's paid off. You've learned how to properly grip your new weapon..." Raven's eyes fell on her daughter and narrowed. "Rhea." Rhea looked at Adam, then stepped forward and faced her mother, frowning.

"Yes, Mother?"

"In the warehouse, due to your lack of attention to and awareness of your surroundings, you could have been killed."

"I'm sorry." Rhea bowed her head apologetically. "I miscounted the number of men present. A foolish mistake on my part." The girl looked up. "It won't happen again, I-"

A loud crack rang out.

Adam's eyes widened as Raven's hand lashed out and Rhea's head snapped to the right, the girl falling to the ground. Rhea pushed her upper-body up with her hands, raising a hand to the left side of her face, her sapphire-blue eyes widening in disbelief as she looked up at her mother.

"... You disappoint me, Rhea." Raven announced coldly, her red eyes and expression apathetic. "The strong survive, and the weak die. No exceptions." Raven turned and walked off, leaving Rhea and Adam in the clearing.

Rhea shakily pushed herself to her feet, her hand still on the side of her face, her expression stunned. Adam gazed at her, still speechless in the wake of what had just happened, then he sheathed _Wilt_.

"Rhea-"

Rhea suddenly turned and ran off into the forest, having unclipped her blades' sheath and let it fall to the ground so that she could run faster. Adam briefly looked down at it, raising an eyebrow as he saw a chain holding two large, silver bracelets to the side of the sheath, then he shook out of it and ran after the girl in blue.

* * *

Adam ran through the forest, looking around with narrowed eyes for signs of Rhea. She couldn't have gotten far, in the state she was in... Adam noticed blue and stopped, turning to see a small pond amidst the trees.

Under a large willow-tree near the water was Rhea, her back against the bark and her knees pulled up to her chest with her head resting on them. Her whole body seemed to quiver, and Adam let out a small sigh before he approached.

"Rhea-"

"G-go away!" Rhea buried her face further into her knees. "I... I wanna be a-alone!" Adam blinked, then frowned as he walked over and sat down next to the girl, gazing at her with narrowed eyes.

"Come on, Rhea. It's not that big of a deal-"

"Leave me alone!" Rhea looked up, glaring through eyes that were swimming with tears. Adam's eyes widened in disbelief, the boy unwilling to comprehend what he was seeing. But, there it was.

Rhea Branwen, possibly the strongest person he had ever met, was crying.

Before he could even think about her being a human, Adam had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Rhea's whole body froze, then she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder.

Adam blinked, then sighed and closed his eyes, placing a hand on the back of her head to try and comfort the girl as his other arm held her tighter. She'd been there when he needed her. Now, it was his turn to return the favor.

"Hey, hey." Adam tried to force his tone to be comforting, but found that he didn't need to. He didn't really sound like himself, he sounded kind and caring. The Hell? "It's okay, Rhea. It's all going to be okay."

Strangely, Adam found himself not caring about how he looked or sounded, just like he had stopped caring about Rhea being a human. In that moment, she was just Rhea and she was thirteen and she was hurt and she needed him, so he couldn't care less about anything else.

"S-she's never hit me, before! Why-?!"

"I don't know. But you don't have to worry..." Adam looked up, his eyes opening and narrowing. "I'm going to look out for you, from now on. I won't let her hurt you, not without going through me. I promise."

Adam had just seen the only friend he had in the world break down, and now he was trying to pick up the pieces. But the thing is, when a person has tried to be strong for so long and finally breaks, there tends to be a lot of pieces... If the Rhea he knew never fully reformed again, he would never forgive Raven.

Rhea's eyes opened and widened at the severity in the boy's voice, the anger and determination. It was both terrifying and comforting at the same time, which was all around confusing. Another thing that was strange was the embrace itself. Unlike Raven when she gave her short, stiff, and cold hugs, Adam seemed completely relaxed and his body radiated warmth. She blinked, then she bit her lower lip as the tears once again welled up in her eyes.

"A-Adam-"

"I promise." Adam closed his eyes, frowning. Rhea felt the tears begin to fall again.

"W-why?"

"... Why not?" At those words from the bull-Faunus, Rhea buried her face into Adam's shoulder again, the boy continuing to try and comfort the girl in blue. "Human or no, you're the best friend I've ever had. And I will protect you... Always."

Adam found himself meaning every word, and he still didn't care. He had practically just pledged his whole existence to protecting a human girl, and he honestly couldn't care less. He'd do it, no matter what.

"I-I'll protect you, too." Rhea whispered quietly, and Adam gave a small smile as he felt the drops of water stop hitting his shoulder, holding the girl closer. "Because that's what friends do."

...

 ** _I don't know what path we will be shown..._**

 ** _But I know that when I'm with you,_**

 ** _I'm at home._**

...

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _Almost Five Years Later_**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Adam Taurus looked back as the airship carrying him and some of his men (most of them knocked out or sleeping in the wake of the battle) flew away from the burning Beacon Academy, seeing a figure in blue doing battle with the Grimm Dragon, blinking behind his mask as his expression filled with surprise.

"What is she doing?" He asked himself quietly, a tint of concern in his voice. That creature, it was as powerful as it was enormous, probably making it a far more powerful foe than even Raven. She hardly stood a chance...

 ** _"I will protect you... Always."_**

Adam felt the hand that wasn't holding the door open clench at his side, and he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he scolded himself for bringing up such memories. The past was in the past, and those days were over...

"Sir?" A man with glasses behind the wheel asked, being the only other conscious person on the ship, and the bull-Faunus shook out of it. "... That's her, isn't it? The Branwen woman who leads the bandit-tribe in Mistral. Raven, right?"

"No." Adam replied, and the man raised an eyebrow. "She is the Branwen who leads the Tribe, but it isn't Raven. Sienna Khan lied about the person he did negotiations with... That's Rhea Branwen."

"Her daughter?"

"Yes."

"... What's wrong, sir? You seem... Agitated."

"Let's just say that we have a history." Adam announced quietly, closing the door of the bullhead and turning away, even though he felt a pit in his stomach. "She's not stupid. She wouldn't take on any enemy she didn't think she'd be able to defeat."

"You sound like you're worried about her."

"Quiet, Perry." Adam gave a low growl, and the man just smirked as he looked back out the window. "She's a human, and that makes her my enemy."

"... Personally, through my experience, I have found that while most humans are genuine pricks, they are no more prickish than most Faunus. Hell, even Roman Torchwick wasn't all bad. Bossy and arrogant, but aren't we all at some point?" As Perry spoke, Adam raised an eyebrow. "So, while I truly do despise the Schnee family and all humans who are like them, that doesn't mean that I automatically see a human and think _monster_. That'd make us no better than Schnees... Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, sir. Even you."

"All humans are my enemies-"

"Yes, and that is why I saw you constantly sneaking off into the woods when you were younger to meet a human girl with black hair and blue eyes." Perry declared cheerily, and Adam's jaw dropped. "I didn't mean to intrude, but you were one of our newer and younger members and _someone_ had to make sure you didn't get eaten by a Beowolf."

"... You knew that I used to be friends with Rhea Branwen, before I began to rise through the ranks of the White Fang?"

"As sure as I know that you still carry around a picture of the two of you in your pocket." Perry replied, and Adam blinked. "You really should try to be more discrete if you don't want to be found out, sir. Sure, you only seem to look at it when it's just me driving you from place to place, but there are such things as rear-view mirrors."

"Have you spoken about this with anyone?"

"Not a soul. Your secret is safe with me... Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why do you keep that picture? I mean, if you are telling the truth in saying that all humans are your enemies, why do you constantly think about that one?"

"... She was the only human I ever completely trusted." Adam drew something from his pocket. "I tried to save her from her fate, but I see now that what I did right afterwards only sealed it. I failed her... And now, it seems that both of us have become our own sort of monsters." Adam sighed, shaking his head. "I keep this picture to remember that a single choice can cost you everything you care about, a lesson that resurfaces constantly."

The old picture in Adam's hand depicted Rhea and Adam standing in a forest. Rhea had her arm wrapped around his shoulders in a side-hug, the opposite hand holding the camera out before them as she grinned cheerfully at it. Adam was rolling his red eyes, his arms crossed and a light smile on his face.

"You don't seem too much younger in that photo than you are, now." Perry commented, looking back at Adam. "When was it taken, sir?"

"... Just a little over two years ago." Adam replied quietly, gazing at the picture forlornly. "Just three days before I lost her... And just three weeks before I lost her for good." Adam blinked, then looked down at his weapons, frowning. "Huh."

"Sir?"

"I just realized..." Adam looked up at the man. "She never did tell me why she called them _Wilt_ and _Blush_."

* * *

 ** _CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! AND RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT?! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD! XD_**

 ** _Sorry, sorry. They're thing I didn't really focus on a lot in the old story when I should have, especially with all of the characters I used. I'm sorry, okay? XD_**

 ** _So... Yeah. We've got some of the relationship between Rhea and Adam here. They were both students who were afraid of Raven, and they looked out for each other._**

 ** _This area, Adam and Rhea's relationship when they were children, has been slightly tweaked from that of "A Tale of Twin Dragons". In ATOTD, they were close, but something coming up within a chapter or so will be a big change - as in the one big change that made it so the outcome was this story that these characters followed instead of ATOTD._**

 ** _To the Adam haters: I know you probably don't like my focus on this character. I just feel like he has so much potential, and until it's really explored in "RWBY", I'm going to do what I can - what I want - with it._** ** _Sue me._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	6. Into Her Hands

_**"Hey, Raven, what's-? ... What?"**_

 _ **"Hmm? What was that, A-? GIVE THAT TO ME!"**_

 _ **"Rhea has-?!"**_

 _ **"I SAID, GIVE THAT TO ME, NOW! ... You can never tell Rhea of this."**_

 _ **"But, she-!"**_

 _ **" NEVER! Is that understood?"**_

 _ **"Raven-"**_

 _ **" IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!"**_

 _ **"... Yes."**_

A sixteen year-old Rhea Branwen and an eighteen year-old Adam Taurus sparred in a forest clearing. Raven Branwen wasn't present, so the two appeared to be taking their time and enjoying the fight. Rhea was smiling deviously, and Adam wore a playful smirk.

Rhea was wearing a dark-blue tank-top, a black denim-jacket, black jeans, black combat-boots, black fingerless-gloves, and a black choker around her neck. Her hair hung somewhat freely, a dark-blue ribbon tied around and under her hair to form a sort of headband to keep her bangs from her face with the long tails hanging over her left shoulder. She was wearing mascara and eyeliner, but no eye-shadow.

Adam wore a long-sleeved black trench coat with slit sleeves and more red designs and a white symbol on the left side, red on the inside with red flame-like accents at the bottom and a large emblem on the back: Wilt. He wore long black pants and black shoes (red on the bottom), and black gloves with more red emblems on their forehand, appearing to be a variant of the Ω (Omega). He also wore a black belt with white domino-marks on it.

"Come on, Adam!" Rhea dodged his red blade, _Wilt_ , with her own blade, _SilverWing_. Adam was carrying the shotgun-sheath of his blade _Blush_ , and Rhea had named her sheath _Gefroren_. Rhea was currently using an ice-Dust blade, and steam rose from the place where the two's blades met. "Just give up!"

"Not until you tell me what's up with those silver bracelets." Adam insisted, giving a small chuckle, his eyes narrowing in focus. His eyes flitted to the bulky silver bracelets on Rhea's wrists.

"It's a surprise!" Rhea laughed, leaping back. Adam charged, and she twirled, spinning her blade, but he was fast enough to block her strikes and grab her left wrist, smirking as he pulled her towards him and held _Wilt_ to her throat, smirking as Rhea's eyes widened.

"Surprise me."

"... Okay!" Rhea grinned slyly, and the bracelet on her left wrist suddenly grew into a large shotgun-gauntlet, Adam's eyes widening as he was forced to release her. "SURPRISE!"

Rhea reared her fist back and punched the air, an ice-Dust-round striking Adam and sending him falling back into the ground. He laid there for a moment, letting out a small noise of pain as his weapons laid in the grass, then he winced as Rhea walked over and fell stomach-first onto his stomach, having sheathed her blade and removed _Gefroren_ , her gauntlets shrinking back into bracelets as she laid on top of him, sighing in exhaustion.

They two started laughing as Rhea rolled off, laying next to Adam in the grass, their weapons lying far away as they just enjoyed the late summer sun and the sound of their own laughter.

 _ **Best of friends, worst of enemies.**_

Adam turned his head to look at Rhea, grinning.

"Alright, I admit: you surprised me." Adam was genuinely surprised. He'd seen Rhea wearing those bracelets every once in a while for years, his curiosity growing more and more with every time he noticed them, but he would never have expected them to be weapons. He wondered why she had never used them, before... "And those shotgun-gauntlets are awesome."

"I know, right?! I named them _FrostBite_! Get it?!"

"Yeah... But, since when were you a puncher?"

" _Brawler_." Rhea corrected almost instinctually, then she frowned. "Huh. Wonder why I said that... Anyway, I don't know. It just sorta... Feels right." Adam's eyes widened as he gazed at his friend, who stared up at the sky like she was questioning her own existence instead of why she liked hitting things. Maybe she was. "Using a sword, punching... They both seem to be things that I can do. Things that I like doing... I don't know why."

"... Rhea?" Adam asked, sitting up as Rhea looking over at him with a raised eyebrow. "There's something... Something that I have to tell you."

"Huh?" Rhea sat up, looking at Adam worriedly. "What is it?"

Adam gazed at her, his expression saddened as he seemed to memorize every detail of the girl like he was looking at her for the first time. Or, the last time.

"... Rhea, you-"

"Ahem." A voice spoke, and the two looked up to see Raven standing by the tree-line, her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised. "I have a new mission for you, Adam."

"What?" Rhea asked, her eyes wide as Adam grabbed his weapons and stood. "Me too, right?" Raven shook her head, and Rhea stood. "But, Adam and I have never gone on a mission without each other! Not in years! Why-?!"

"Rhea!" Raven snapped, the girl recoiling slightly. "You will listen, and you will obey!" Raven calmed herself, then looked up, frowning. "... You and Adam must grow strong without each other. You never know: there could be a time when you won't have one another." Rhea's eyes widened, but Adam placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling reassuringly.

"It's alright, Rhea. I'll be back soon."

"I know..." Rhea looked down, clenching her fists. "I'm sorry. I was being childish, I-" Rhea looked up with wide eyes as Adam pulled her into a hug, then she hugged him back. "Be careful, okay?"

"I'll be fine." Adam pulled away, then looked back. Seeing Raven already walking into the woods, he looked down at Rhea, his eyes narrowing. "Follow us." Rhea's eyes widened.

"What?!"

"Shh!" Adam placed both of his hands on Rhea's shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "Your mother has been lying to you. She's been lying for a very long time. Follow us, hide, and listen."

"O-okay."

"Adam!" Raven looked back, and Adam turned around. "You're going on a mission, not off to war!" Adam scowled, not noticing Rhea's eyes widening at her mother's insinuation, as Raven turned back and kept walking into the trees, her eyes narrowing. "Not yet."

Adam looked back at Rhea, then turned and followed Raven. Rhea waited for a few moments, then she hesitatingly followed behind them.

* * *

Rhea hid in the shadows as Raven and Adam arrived at a smaller, more-shadowy clearing.

"What-?!" Raven turned and glared at Adam. "Were you thinking?!" Adam clenched his fists.

"I don't care what you say." He announced coldly. "Rhea deserves to know the truth."

"You know that she can never know! If she did, all of these years of preparation and planning would be for nothing!" Raven calmed herself down and glowered at Adam, and Rhea could almost hear the gears in her head turning. "I'm sending you to Vale's segment of the White Fang, the one I had you infiltrate before."

Rhea recalled that mission. It had begun two years before and only just ended three months before that moment. It was Rhea's mission to follow the group and keep an eye on Adam in case his cover was blown and/or he required some other form of assistance. He often snuck away to meet her in the woods, to talk and spar. He oftentimes told her about a friend he made, Blake Belladonna - who was a cute little Faunus girl around Rhea's age -, and how he was teaching her to fight.

Rhea was glad to get away from her mother for a while, but she missed having Adam's company to herself all the time. Watching wasn't as fun as participating, and she was honestly a little jealous of how fond Adam had grown of Blake and how much of his time she and the White Fang consumed.

Adam had quickly risen through the ranks due to his abilities in fighting and speaking. If he went back, Rhea wouldn't be surprised if he quickly became the leader of that group. They trusted him, respected him. And, in all honesty, Rhea knew deep down inside of herself that the White Fang was where his loyalty, his heart, was.

He was fond of Rhea, they were best friends, but Rhea could tell that he missed the White Fang. Despite the violent mantle they had taken, they were the voice of his people. And with her best friend so passionate about something so close to his heart, Rhea knew in her heart that she could never come between Adam and the White Fang. If it was a choice between Rhea and the White Fang, Rhea knew who he would pick.

It was just hard to accept.

"Hmm." Rhea frowned, her blue eyes narrowing as she shook out of those worrisome memories and troubling thoughts in order to process the new, strange information she had just been provided. What was this _truth_? Why would a mission keep Adam from revealing it?

"They still believe that you are on a recruiting mission, yes?" Raven's voice shook Rhea out of her trance. Adam didn't reply. "Rhea will be told that you were sent as my agent in an attempt to reform them, but that is a lie... You are never to come back to Mistral, and you will never see Rhea again. If you do... Death shall be your reward."

Rhea's sapphire-blue eyes widened in horror, filling with tears as Adam's expression went from anger to disbelief, his fists falling open and his weapon falling to the ground. It was all silent for a long moment, then Adam's fists clenched once more, his eyes narrowing into a glare as he bared his teeth in rage.

"I can't believe this!" Adam snapped, stepping forward. "You're lying to her, manipulating her, all for the sake of your **Tribe**! Never once have you considered her feelings, her right to choose! How could you do this to Rhea?!"

"It's for her greater good."

" ** _Her greater good_**?! It's for _her greater good_ that she doesn't know that you're lying to her, manipulating her into your clone, your puppet?! It's for her greater good that she doesn't know about her father, her uncle, or her twin sister?!"

Rhea's eyes widened, and her face paled as she slowly backed away from the clearing, her heart roaring in her ears as she actually breathed in and out of her mouth in an attempt to get more air into her lungs.

Father?

Uncle?

Sister?

Adam glared at Raven, and she glared right back at him. Then, Raven raised her blade and slashed it through the air, creating a red vortex. Adam was livid, but as he gazed at the portal, he realized what walking through it meant.

He could feel Rhea's gaze on him, her wide eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to speak with her. But if he let Raven know that Rhea was present, it would all be over. They would never be able to escape her...

Adam grabbed his weapons and slowly walked towards the portal, his eyes still narrowed in rage. Raven looked at him blankly, then a small smirk crossed her face.

"Thank you, Adam, for all of your assistance in accelerating my plans. Through you, Rhea has learned how to teach and how to lead, and through your abandoning of her, she will learn that she can trust no one. She will be ready sooner than I could have ever hoped for."

"You lying, evil-!"

"Face it, Adam. I've won. The next time you and Rhea meet, as fate always has a funny way with these matters, you will no longer be partners and you will no longer be friends. You will be enemies, and as I _advise_ her to take your life for your betrayal, I know for a fact that she won't hesitate."

"... She is stronger than you could ever be." Adam announced, and Raven's eyes narrowed. "And I know for a fact that she won't hesitate when it comes to dealing with your _betrayal_." With that, Adam entered the portal.

Rhea was on her knees, kneeling and staring at the scene with wide eyes and a slack jaw, tears streaming down her face. Then, as the portal vanished, Rhea's blue eyes slowly narrowed, tinting purple. Then, they began glowing a violent crimson as she bared her gritted teeth, livid.

"No, I won't."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _Nearly Two Years Later_**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Rhea yelled and drove her blade into the Grimm Dragon's shoulder, the beast crying out and thrashing as the black-haired warrior laughed in enjoyment and grabbed one of its spines, riding it like a bucking bronco.

"That..." Sun gaped, his eyes wide. "Is SO badass." Yang slowly nodded in agreement.

"Yeah... She's completely insane." Yang suddenly grinned. "Definitely my sister! WHOOO! YEAH! GO, RHEA!"

Rhea smirked and slashed her blade at the Dragon's right wing, the beast howling in pain as she left a sizable slit and the creature lost control of its flight-path. The girl yelped as she was thrown back and grabbed the Dragon's tail, then she climbed back up and ran across the Grimm Dragon's spine, dragging her blade across it and leaving a large gash before leaping off the Dragon's left shoulder and turning mid-air, driving her blade into the monster's chest.

As the struggling Grimm-Dragon was sent into a nosedive, Rhea slid across the beast's underbelly, her blade slowly slitting the beast open from its chest to its stomach. Rhea's blade slipped out, the girl starting to fall as the thrashing beast crashed into the ground outside of Beacon - a deafening crack ringing out as its neck broke in the impact with the earth - and began to dissolve, her form slowly beginning to plummet.

"Oh no!" Ruby's eyes widened and reached out. "Rhea!"

"Place your bets." Qrow crossed his arms. "Portal, superhero-landing, or-" The girl was suddenly surrounded by a flurry of black feathers, the feathers slowly condensing and forming a black bird: a raven. The raven gave a cry and shot up into the night sky, doing a spin and a flip before turning and soaring towards the docks. "... Yeah, that."

"Wait..." Ruby looked around, her eyes narrowing. "Where are Jaune and Pyrrha?"

* * *

Rhea walked up to the docks, her hair and the feathery banner on her belt bouncing slightly with her steps as the last black feather fell from her hair and drifted to the ground. She noticed medics helping Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and the rest of the injured onto the airship, then looked to see Yang and Blake.

"Where are Ruby, Qrow, and the Schnee?" Rhea asked, raising an eyebrow. Blake crossed her arms.

"Ruby and _Weiss_ went to find some friends of ours, and Qrow went after them to make sure they were okay." She replied, and Rhea nodded. She looked at Yang, frowning.

"I'll wait with you, to make sure that our uncle and our sister are unharmed."

"Aw..!" Yang walked over and hugged Rhea, grinning. "You are such a good sister..!"

"I am?" Rhea raised an eyebrow, then she looked at Blake for confirmation. Blake simply shrugged, and Rhea looked at Yang. "... I think you can stop hugging me, now."

"Nope." Yang buried her face into Rhea's shoulder. "I... I have nearly eighteen years to make up for." Rhea blinked in surprise as the Blonde Brawler's voice nearly broke. "I'm your big sister... Let me act like one."

"... We're twins, Yang. I'm not that little."

"You're still younger than me."

"Are you going to be one of _those_ older-twins who hold age-superiority over the younger?"

"You bet."

"... Oi vey." Rhea rested her head on Yang's shoulder, sighing as she wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her back, trying to hide her face from those observing the scene. "... This would be so much easier if I let Adam hack your arm off." And, apparently, her emotions.

"RHEA!"

"Too soon?"

* * *

 ** _Well, there it is._**

 ** _The big difference in this story that caused Rhea to tread this path instead of the path pf "A Tale of Twin Dragons": Adam manned-up and managed to tell Rhea the truth about her family._**

 ** _In ATOTD, I always imagined that Adam did find out the truth, but he chose NOT to tell Rhea due to his bitterness towards Raven - who taught him that he really count trust humans, especially those who were affiliated with the Tribe - and the fact that he and Rhea weren't as close as they are in this story._**

 ** _As you can tell form the portion of this story that takes place in the "present", this action of Adam's had a massive impact on the path that Rhea chose to travel. In ATOTD, Rhea simply continued to train with her mother and allowed herself to be manipulated. Here, she walks down a different, darker path._**

 ** _FYI: in case you're pissed off about Rhea killing the Dragon, keep in mind that she was trained by Raven Branwen, a full-fledged Huntress and warrior who's been hinted at being incredibly strong. And, as you could see, it did take effort from Rhea. Several long minutes of effort, actually, and in the end, it wasn't her who really killed it: it was the impact with the ground. That, and Ruby will still unlock her silver-eyes without it due to Pyrrha still dying._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	7. Out of the Frying Pan

_**"I've sent the boy to the White Fang. Rhea has been told that he was sent on a mission to reform it, but I've told him that if he ever returns, he will be killed on sight."**_

 _ **"You've removed him from the Tribe?"**_

 _ **"Not yet. I'll make the announcement in a moment... What's that noise?"**_

Raven Branwen and her second-in-command burst out of a large, crimson tent to see the rest of the Tribe staring with wide eyes as a figure - a girl in blue - marched down the center aisle of tents.

The girl arrived at the center courtyard, standing before her mother and the main tent. Her eyes were narrowed in rage, and Raven blinked in surprise at both her presence and expression.

"You lied to me!" Rhea Branwen snapped, drawing her ice-Dust blade. "You lied about my father, about your brother! You never told me about my sister or the Tribe that you expect me to one day lead!"

"Rhea?!" Raven's eyes widened as Rhea's eyes narrowed further. "What are you doing, here?! How-?!"

"... I challenge you." Rhea scowled, bearing her teeth in fury. "I challenge you, for leadership of the Tribe." All went silent, save for the muttering of the Tribesmen. Raven's eyes were wide, then they narrowed.

"You know nothing-"

"Yes, I do." Rhea held up a book bound in old, red-stained leather. "Borrowed this, memorized it. I know all about this Tribe's history, traditions, and the yearly cycles of migration. I also know that anyone with blood-relations to the leader can challenge them for leadership, regardless of previous affiliation or dealings with the Tribe, as long as they have memorized this book... I repeat: I challenge you."

"... Very well." Raven glared, stepping forward to face her daughter in the courtyard, everyone else quickly backing away from the two in fear. Rhea glared right back at her mother. "As the challenged, I have right to decide rules."

"I know."

"Boundaries: this courtyard. Weapons and resources: any that we currently have on our bodies. No use of portals, no use of aura-reserve, and neither of us may become a bird. And the battle will continue until one of us has shattered the other's aura-"

"I know."

"... And the victor will decide the fate of the fallen. It is tradition that, if the leader is victor, the defeated will die."

"I know." Rhea drew her ice-Dust blade and got into a challenging fighting-stance, her eyes narrowed in focus. Raven also drew her blade, one of fire-Dust. "... And I don't care."

A moment passed in silence, then Raven darted forward and slashed her blade, Rhea quickly blocking before pushing back and making Raven step back, the girl ducking beneath her blade as she swung again and standing up behind her mother. Raven spun around and slashed again, Rhea backflipping and kicking her mother in the chest, getting propelled as Raven stumbled backwards, surprised.

Rhea dropped her blade and landed on her hands, pushing up and flipping again, landing on her feet before darting forward and grabbing her blade before charging at Raven, yelling and spinning to deliver several rapid strikes to the woman's chest. Raven recovered and charged her free hand with aura, yelling and punching.

Rhea was struck in the chest, and she flew back before recovering and landing on her feet, skidding back and taking a deep breath before looking up, glaring as she took several deep breaths. Raven smirked, walking forward with her blade idle at her side, shaking her head.

"Rhea, Rhea, Rhea." She _tsk_ ed, knowing that her daughter's aura must have been devastatingly crippled by such a powerful, aura-charged strike. She was always the best with pure aura-charged attack, on Team STRQ. It was her backup... "Call off the match and end this foolishness. You can't beat me, admit it."

"Actually..." Rhea looked down, shaking her head and laughing. Raven's eyes widened as icy-mist began curling from her daughter's hair, and the girl looked up, her blue eyes now glowing a violent crimson. "I was going to say _thank you_. That little punch of yours was extremely helpful."

"What?!" Raven demanded, taking a step back in astonishment as Rhea stood up and brushed some dust from her shoulder. "What is-?!" Rhea looked at her mother, giving a light deadpan.

"Really, Mother. I'm your student. You taught me how to create reserves for aura so that I have a backup in case the majority is shattered in battle. You taught me the family secret of transformation and instantaneous-travel... Did you really expect me to have not discovered my semblance, yet?"

"Semblance?! What-?!"

"Mother, Mother, Mother..." Rhea walked forward, unclipping her sheath from her belt and casting her blade aside. "I've known what I am capable of since I was twelve years old. I didn't understand until I was thirteen, when you began hitting me... I don't want to be you, Mother. I want to follow my own way, and make my own choices. And when I can't..." Rhea's eyes narrowed, her expression falling into a scowl. "I get angry. But the thing is, I became good at hiding my anger, but in doing that, I allowed it to build up." Rhea's fists clenched at her sides. "This, knowing that you hid so much from me and seeing what you did to Adam, was the last straw. I'm not too afraid to show my anger, anymore... I'm not afraid of being stronger than you."

"Rhea?" Raven asked, growing concerned. Rhea stopped, her eyes burning into her mother's. A moment passed, then Rhea raised her fists before throwing them down, the bracelets on her wrists expanding and becoming a pair of shotgun-gauntlets. "What the Hell?!"

Rhea got into a fighting stance, Dust-rounds loadding in her gauntlets, the girl looking up and baring her teeth in rage. She got into a charging stance, her eyes locked on her mother.

Rhea suddenly darted forward and struck her mother in the stomach with a powerful punch. The woman's eyes widened in disbelief, then she grunted in pain as a Dust-round was fired at the contact point. The woman was nearly sent flying back, but Rhea grabbed her shoulder. Raven looked up at Rhea as she raised her right fist, looking her in the eyes.

"You can't control me, anymore." Rhea announced quietly, and Raven's eyes widened further. Then, Rhea yelled and punched.

* * *

A beaten, cut, and bruised Raven fell to her hands and knees, breathing heavily as a battered, bruised, and disheveled Rhea glared down at her and the final red ripples of her mother's shattered aura.

The Tribe stared in astonisment as Rhea reached up and wiped the blood away from a slash in her forehead with the back of her left sleeve, her gauntlets disengaging. Rhea lowered her hand, then walked forward and grabbed Raven's blade from where it laid on the ground. It had been snapped in half.

Fragments of the women's armor and bits of clothing and even hair laid scattered around the two fighters, and it was nighttime. It had taken Rhea longer than anticipated, but she had done it. She had beaten Raven.

Now, her biggest challenge seemed to be keeping her knees from shaking and giving out underneath her. She was exhausted, her aura was probably below five-percent, and she was bleeding heavily from her head. But she had to stay standing, to keep up the image of strength and victory, and to teach her mother a lesson.

Raven looked up at the fragmented blade was aimed at her, her red eyes weakly narrowed. Rhea glared down at her mother, the blade inches from the woman's face. A small smirk slowly curled its way onto the teenager's lips.

"Yield."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _Nearly Two Years Later_**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Rhea and Yang sat by the docks, gazing at Beacon, waiting for Ruby and Weiss to return. The twins sat Indian-style, silent, and Blake watched the two of them from nearby, standing with crossed arms.

"Blake?" Sun walked up, looking at the girl worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You were shaking like a leaf when you came back, and you've been looking at Rhea like she's a Grimm or something."

"... She knows Adam, my old partner from the White Fang." Blake announced, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I want to know what she knows about him, I want to know why she knows him, I want to know why he didn't try to kill her... I want to know why I feel like I recognize her."

"She does look like Yang."

"No, not because of that. I feel like I've seen her before, like she's just... Been there, in my life, just as long as Adam. A shadow that haunted his steps, and my memory... I want to know who she is. And more than that, I want to know who Adam is. Who he really is."

"... Then, just ask her."

"... Rhea." Blake walked over to Rhea and Yang. "I want to talk to you. Alone." Yang went to protest, but Rhea held her hand up to silence her, standing and nodding.

"Very well." Rhea followed Blake to the edge of the docks, out of earshot. "So?"

"You never answered." Blake turned and glared at Rhea. "How do you know Adam? What was all of that, back in the cafeteria, about?" Rhea gazed at Blake, then sighed.

"Adam and I trained in combat under the same master. My mother." Rhea replied, and Blake's eyes widened. "We met when we were young, and I saved him from Faunus slave-traders hiding out in Mistral. We were friends, and partners in the missions my mother assigned to us. But my mother betrayed the both of us, and he left. Or, rather, she cast him out." Rhea looked down. "For protecting me... What you saw back there was the first time we had spoken in over a year. Nearly two years... He considers me his enemy, even though I am only guilty by blood."

"What do you mean, your mother betrayed you?"

"Adam learned of the secrets my mother was keeping from me, primarily the existence of Yang, Ruby, Qrow, and my father and her plan to brainwash me into another _her_. My mother threatened him, and finally cast him out so that he couldn't tell me the truth, sending him back to the White Fang."

"Back?"

"Yes. Do you recall a long-term recruiting-mission Adam set out on?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It was false. Adam came from Raven, and he returned to Raven. He joined the White Fang as her agent, to rise through the ranks and collect information for her."

"What?!"

"After Raven cast Adam out, he returned to the White Fang... And he left me." Rhea turned and gazed out towards Vale City, crossing her arms. "I took control of the Tribe to get Raven under control, then I went to find him. A-and... I don't understand what happened. It had only been a few weeks, and I... I barely recognized him." Rhea took a deep breath. "So, we took different paths, and we still tread them to this day. They just happened to meet, tonight... And now, we walk alone once more."

"He was a spy... That explains how I know you." Blake realized, and Rhea looked at her. "I remember you... Your shadow followed the White Fang, and haunted Adam's steps. At first, I would just catch glimpses of you every once in a while. You were just there, then I'd blink and you were gone."

"My orders were to stay hidden."

"Then, why did you keep letting me see you?"

* * *

 _A young Blake walked into a small clearing, looking around with a small frown._

 _"Adam?" She asked worriedly, then looked forward and gasped. Standing there, towering a few inches over her, was a powerful-looking human girl in black and blue. She glared at Blake, perfectly still, her hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword, and Blake stepped back, terrified. "W-who-?!"_

 _"Blake?!" A voice shouted in the distance, and Blake looked back. She looked forward, and the girl was gone, a single black feather laying in the grass._

* * *

An older Blake gazed at Rhea, frowning.

"You were obviously good at keeping yourself hidden. Why show yourself to me?"

"... I was threatened." Rhea stated, and Blake raised an eyebrow. "I could tell that, with every passing day, even before the betrayal, Adam was pulling away from me." Rhea looked back at the city. "I was there because Raven told me to protect him, in case he was discovered. I was happy to accept. Best friends protect each other... Especially when their best friend is their only friend." Blake blinked in surprise. "But as I watched over Adam, and when we met up whenever possible, I noticed that he was becoming more and more fond of the White Fang. And I came to accept that if it came down to a choice between me and the White Fang, and you... He wouldn't pick me." Rhea closed her eyes. "But still. Part of me wanted to believe that if you saw me, you'd be scared of being near Adam and give him one less reason to stay. But if anything, you became curious and drew closer to him, which is why I stopped."

"... If you thought that he'd come with me and the White Fang, that he'd leave you, you should have been angry."

"I was."

"Then..." Blake looked down, her eyes narrowed, then looked back at Rhea. "Why did you do it?"

* * *

 _A Beowolf swung its paw, a young Blake shrieking in fear and recoiling. Suddenly, a slash of blue split the monster right down the middle, the two halves falling apart to reveal the girl in blue. Her blue eyes were wide, and from the way she was breathing she had come there in a rush - a panic._

 _Blake stared at the girl, stunned, as she sheathed a massive blue blade. The mystery-girl looked down at Blake, calming slightly, then her eyes narrowed and she turned away._

 _"T-thank you!" Blake stuttered, and the girl paused. Then, with a flutter of feathers, Blake was left alone._

* * *

Blake's eyes had narrowed further.

"You could have let me die, that day."

"I'm not that sort of person. I'm not my mother." Rhea scowled lightly, looking away. "You were a child."

"We're the same age."

"I'm not talking about years. You were inexperienced, alone, and up against an opponent you couldn't handle." Rhea's expression softened. "In those woods, Adam should have been watching you. He's lucky I saw you go off by yourself."

Blake wanted to ask more about that incident. Why had Rhea followed her instead of going to talk to Adam? She probably hated Blake for taking all of Adam's time, so did she real just save Blake due to her morals, or was there something else that Rhea wasn't telling her? But, Blake had more important questions to get to and not much time.

"... I don't get it." Blake spoke up again, her frown softening slightly as she gazed at Rhea. "You say Adam was your best friend. He obviously had no reason to leave you, Rhea, so why didn't he come back for you, anyway? He's not the sort of person who just gives up... Why would he stay with the White Fang?"

"I already told you. He had a choice, and he chose."

"Chose?"

"Yes, chose. He chose to change, he chose to become my enemy, he chose to stay with you, and he chose to attack my sister. And because of all those choices, I'm stuck leading a tribe of people I can never trust and unable to see my family. And my actions tonight could get my tried for treason and beheaded, leaving Raven in charge again, making all of this pointless. So, Adam has royally fucked me over and ensured that I will either lead a life of misery or die an extremely gruesome death." Rhea's voice had cracked, and Blake blinked in surprise at the brief flash of hurt in grief it revealed. Her expression and words were cold, but her voice... It was so emotional. "Happy?"

"No." Blake decided to pressure her further. She needed to know what Rhea was trying to hide. "You still haven't explained why he just left you. Adam isn't the type of person to judge someone close to him based on family. I was the daughter of the White Fang's last leader, and he treated me just like everyone else. Why would he just leave you?"

"I don't know!" Rhea snapped, and Blake blinked in surprise as she noticed a tear racing down the girl's face, her teeth bared and her eyes clenched shut. "I don't know, okay?! One day, we're sparring and laughing same as always, and a month later he's saying that he'll subjugate and slaughter all of humanity!" Her voice didn't match her words. She didn't sound angry. More like she was trying not to sob. "I don't know what happened to him, I don't know where the man I knew went, I don't know why he left me alone with Raven and the Tribe when the whole reason why he was cast out in the first place was because he was trying to save me from them! I don't know!" Rhea slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the moon, her fists falling and clenching at her sides. "And I don't care."

* * *

 _A young Blake wandered through the woods, then turned and looked to see a clearing. Adam stood there, smiling down at the girl in blue and black as she laughed at something._

 _Blake's eyes widened, and she slowly crept over to a tree, hiding behind it and peering over at the two. Why was Adam with her, why were they so happy? Who was she?_

 _Adam said something to the girl, and she blinked before frowning and looking down. She seemed sad, and almost scared. Adam placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a reassuring smile, and the girl blinked before managing a weak grin._

 _"It'll be alright." Blake heard Adam promise, and the girl in blue nodded shakily. In a flash of black and a flutter, the girl was gone, a single black feather falling to the forest floor. Adam picked it up and turned it over in his hands, smiling and shaking his head as he managed a small chuckle, then he turned and saw Blake walking into the clearing. "Hey, Blake!"_

 _"H-hey!"_

* * *

Blake thought back to that instance, her frown growing. After that day, the young Blake had almost-thought that Rhea was some sort of dark guardian angel, watching over Adam and keeping him safe - keeping her safe too, even though she didn't seem happy about it. The black feathers made her believe it...

But now that she knew the truth about Rhea, she wondered what Adam had said to Rhea and why she grew afraid. Why he had to reassure her, why she had to pretend to be brave for him. It was strange...

And so was Rhea's behavior, and there was something about her words. Blake couldn't help but wonder why Rhea said such cold words towards Adam in such a strange way. Such words should have been full of hate, but she spoke like the wounds were still fresh and she was more hurt than angry. Like she herself believed that she could never be as angry as she tried to look. Her voice betrayed her face. No wonder she was so straight-to-the-point and quiet for most of the time that she had been around Adam, why she didn't want to remove her mask...

"... I'm sorry." Blake looked down, and Rhea raised an eyebrow. "If what you say is true, I pulled Adam to the White Fang and they made him into a monster. I'm to blame... I'm sorry, Rhea." Rhea gazed at Blake, then looked away.

"It's the past. I find its best to never stop moving forward, and leave pain behind you in favor of gaining knowledge and strength. I know better than to place complete faith and trust in people, now."

"What was he like, before?" Blake asked, and Rhea looked at her. "I mean, when I met him, he was guarded but nice enough." The girl in blue blinked, then looked down.

"He was always very guarded... But not with me." Rhea gave a small smile, looking back towards Vale. "He was always so lively. He joked around, our sparring-matches were as playful as they were competitive, and we were always engaged in a pranking-war. I'd play a bull-fighter and trick him into running into trees, and he'd trick me into transforming and wandering into bird cages." Blake gave a small snort of laughter as she pictured it in her head. "When my mother wasn't around, which was quite often, we only had each other, and we grew close. We told each other everything. We spoke together, played together, fought together, cried together, laughed together... When I lost him, it was like losing a part of me. I would have preferred to lose an arm or a leg than him, the way I was back then..." Rhea's smile fell. "There's an emptiness in my heart, and it's a constant reminder of the mistake I made in believing in and relying upon some one. I know now that I can only trust myself."

"... You were in love with him." Blake announced quietly, and Rhea froze, her eyes widening. "Weren't you?"

"... No." Rhea looked over and glared at Blake. "He was my partner, my friend. Nothing more." Blake just gazed at the girl, frowning, and Rhea looked away. "I was prepared to fight him, tonight, if it would save Yang. He's my enemy... He'd kill me, if he got the chance. And if he brought me to an extreme, I would take his life as well. He's become a monster, and someday he will need to be put down, whether it is by my hand or someone else's... Our bond is severed."

"Is it? You obviously still care about him, and I saw his hand shaking in the cafeteria."

"I don't care about him. He betrayed and abandoned me, and it was you shaking in the cafeteria. Your eyes played tricks on you."

"Rhea-"

"Enough!" Rhea snapped, and Blake froze. Then, Blake sighed and nodded.

"Okay... I just have one more question."

"What?"

"... When was your last confrontation with Adam, before tonight?" Blake asked, and Rhea blinked. "When was the bond cut?" Rhea gazed at Blake, then looked down.

A spark briefly glinted in her blue eyes, then the dark-haired girl sighed and closed her eyes as a light wind moved her hair and clothes. Her fist closed around the hilt of her blade, then she looked up at Blake, glaring as she blinked back tears.

"It was cut the second that he answered a question I asked him when we were children. I asked him if he believed that all humans, including myself, were like the men who held him prisoner. If we were all as cruel as they were, if we all needed to be exterminated as I exterminated the leader of that operation... His answer was absolute."

"What?" Blake's eyes widened in disbelief. "Rhea, what happened?" Rhea turned away, glaring across the divide and at the city of Vale. Her eyes narrowed, the tears coming to a stop.

"To Adam Taurus, all of humanity is the same." Rhea announced coldly, livid. "We're all monsters, in his eyes. But, in a way, he's not wrong about me." Rhea looked back at Blake, a shadow cast over half of her face. The illuminated half had a single cold blue eye while the shadow-covered half bore a closing crimson eye full of anger and hate, like the eye of a Creature of Grimm, and the gazes of both chilled Blake to the bone, especially as a dark smirk curled across Rhea's lips, a small chuckle escaping. "I am the monster he created."

* * *

Rhea watched Qrow and Weiss walk past, Qrow carrying an unconscious Ruby and Weiss carrying a shield and a circlet. Yang, Blake, and Sun watched, horrified.

' _The weak die and the strong survive._ ' Rhea thought with a bitterness, then she turned and began walking away. Yang jogged over and grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey, where-?"

"The Tribe has noticed me gone, by now. I should be going."

"Rhea-"

"Yang." Rhea looked back at her twin. "If you don't let me go, we all die by the Tribe's hands or I won't live to see you, again." Yang blinked, surprised, then released Rhea.

"... I better see you again." Yang announced, glaring lightly. "You better come back and check on Ruby, and you better meet Dad. If you don't, I will hunt you down."

"Yeah, sure." Rhea smirked, rolling her eyes and drawing her blade, slashing a portal into the air. "Good luck with that."

"Hey." Yang was smirking when Rhea looked back at her. "Xiao-Longs are stubborn."

"So are Branwens."

"Good thing we're both, right?" Yang asked, crossing her arms. Rhea blinked, then gave a light grin.

"See you around, Yang... Take care of Ruby."

"I will. I look out for my sisters." Yang winked, and Rhea looked surprised. "Both of them." Rhea stared at Yang, then gave a small frown.

"You hardly know me."

"You're still my sister." Yang raised her right hand to her heart, a tear racing down her face despite her smile. "My twin sister... I may not know you too much, yet, but I can already tell that I love you." Rhea blinked, astonished, then she gave a small smile as she gazed at her older sister, a tear falling.

"... I love you, too. And Ruby, and Qrow. And I know I'll love our father." Rhea turned to her portal. "But seriously, baby-steps."

"That's no fun."

"Hmm." Rhea gave a small hum of amusement. "Maybe." With that, Rhea stepped through her portal and vanished into the night.

* * *

Rhea exited her portal in the middle of her Tribe's campsite, closing it behind her, and her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked around to see the entire Tribe, including her mother, surrounding her.

"What-?!"

"You defied the _Right of One_ , Rhea." Raven announced, sounding rueful but determined all the same. "I have been reinstated as leader, and according to tradition... My first order must be your execution."

* * *

 ** _Well, we got some more backstory!_**

 ** _Now, you see that Rhea only defeated Raven by use of a cheap tactic – employing a semblance and weapons that she'd kept hidden - and she'd only won by a sliver. Ol' Rhea was running on aura-fumes by the time that fight ended._**

 ** _You've also gotten some more information regarding Adam's mission to the White Fang, as well, as information regarding him and Rhea's unfortunate falling-out that's been hinted at since the prologue. Blake and Rhea have also revealed that, through an old mission of Rhea's, they have a small history._**

 ** _Finally, Rhea's in hot-water with the Tribe and her mother! Raven's pissed and poor Rae's probably not going to get lucky twice!_**

 ** _Next few chapters are gonna be fun..!_**

 ** _I only own my OC! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	8. Into the Fire

_**"Yield."**_

Rhea threw the fragmented blade to the ground in front of Raven, turning away from her fallen mother and facing the Tribe, her smirk falling into a light glare as she examined each and every person carefully. When she was satisfied, she lowered her guard and folded her hands behind her back, her eyes narrowed.

"Ladies, gentlemen... Step forward, state your name and age, give a brief description of your backstory and fighting-style, and state whether you wish to stay in this Tribe under me or depart and try to make your own living." Rhea's eyes darkened slightly, her brow furrowing. "Either way... Your lives are about to change, forever."

"... Hail, High Leader Branwen!" A man shouted, slamming his fist onto his chest and bowing. All of the other bandits did this as well, and Rhea's smirk grew as they began walking up to her, obeying her first order.

"Okay, then."

* * *

Some unknown amount of time later, Rhea walked through a forest of red, looking around. She seemed anxious, excited even, a small smile on her face as she searched for something.

She wore a shallow-cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of black beads hanging haphazardly around her neck, a dark-blue girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. Over these gauntlets rested her silver bracelets, and an object that looked to be made from black feathers hung from the right side of her skirt. She also wore detached black leggings with a dark-blue splatter pattern, and black leather boots beneath them. On the left side of her belt, her sheath for her blades hung ready with a new companion - a large Grimm-mask with blue detailing.

She appeared to have added some dark-blue highlights to her feathery black hair, which was held back slightly by a dark-blue bandanna that peered out from under her hair, and she was wearing black mascara and eyeliner with a touch of black eyeshadow.

She looked like Raven. A lot like Raven, really.

Rhea heard noises nearby, gunshots, and she listened for a moment before grinning and running towards them. She knew the sound of that gun. She'd helped to forge it, after all. Rhea turned at the entrance of a clearing, and...

"Excellent work, Blake." Adam nodded, lowering _Blush_ as a young Blake Belladonna lowered her weapon. Two targets were set up in the clearing, and the two were practicing. Rhea quickly hid behind a tree, her eyes wide as she peeked out from behind it to watch the two.

She had never really met Blake before, only observed her and heard Adam's stories, and Rhea was curious as to who and what the girl was growing into under his tutelage. She seemed to be Rhea's age, and she wore a bow on her head. Rhea assumed that it covered her animal trait. Rhea's eyes went to the target, and she nodded at what she saw. Impressive. Adam had trained her well.

Rhea's eyes returned to Adam, and she noticed that he was wearing the ornate Grimm-mask that Raven had made for him. It didn't cover his whole face, as a mask that size would have probably hidden his horns. Adam would never, under any circumstance, hide his species. He was proud, and Rhea encouraged him... Rhea vaguely wondered why Adam had let Blake hide her animal trait (probably ears). She'd ask when she could.

"So." Blake turned to Adam, sheathing her weapon and crossing her arms. The girl was frowning, and Rhea's eyes narrowed slightly. Why did she seem uneasy, upset? "What do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Adam Taurus, Leader of Vale's White Fang."

Rhea's heart stopped. Sure, it had been some time since she and Adam had parted and he had returned to the White Fang, but she didn't think that he would be promoted that quickly...

"I'm going to do what's best for our kind." Adam turned away from Blake, giving a small smirk. "It's time to light the fires of revolution... And burn mankind to the ground."

Rhea's eyes widened, and she pulled away from the tree, taking a step back from the clearing and raising a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry as her sapphire-blue eyes teared up.

* * *

An hour later, Blake had left the clearing, and Adam was looking around one last time. His masked eyes fell on a figure standing just outside of the treeline.

Rhea stood there, her hair waving slightly in the wind, gazing at Adam forlornly. She drew something, a large blue and white Grimm-mask, from behind her and raised it to her face. It molded perfectly to her features, staying on her face without anything holding it there as she lowered her hand.

Adam stared at her, stunned, as she turned away, towards the forest, drawing her dark-blue blade and slashing a blue vortex into the air. She walked through it and vanished without looking back.

Adam gazed at the spot for a moment, then clenched his fists at his sides, nodded, and turned away, heading back towards the White Fang camp.

He didn't notice three figures, one in red and one in green and one in grey, watching him from the trees.

"A Branwen."

" _Branwen_?! Ma'am, was that-?!"

"No, it wasn't. Interesting..."

 ** _"Our plan will be beneficial for both of us... Or one of us."_**

* * *

Rhea reappeared in her tent and immedietly threw her mask aside and ran over to her bed, falling to her knees and folding her arms on her bed and resting her head on them, beginning to sob. She hadn't cried that hard in forever, and the last time she had...

 _ **"Hey, hey. It's okay, Rhea. It's all going to be okay."**_

 _ **"S-she's never hit me, before! Why-?!"**_

 _ **"I don't know. But you don't have to worry... I'm going to look out for you, from now on. I won't let her hurt you, not without going through me. I promise."**_

 _ **"A-Adam-"**_

 _ **"I promise."**_

Rhea sniffed, snuggling her head further into her arms, feeling the ghost of Adam's arms around her despite herself, tears streaming down her face.

"N-never again..." She hissed softly to herself, her eyes clenching shut as her fists closed around her blankets. "I-I will never trust anyone, e-ever again... To Hell w-with Adam... T-to Hell with R-Raven... To H-Hell with the world..."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _Less Than Two Years Later_**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Rhea stepped back, her eyes widening in fear as she drew her ice-Dust blade, the tribesmen beginning to close in. She managed to calm herself a little and take a deep breath, then she looked up, glaring.

"If this is the way it must be, then so be it." She announced, then all of the bandits suddenly charged. Rhea quickly stabbed her blade into the ground, a circle of icy spikes rising from the ground and impaling those on the front-lines due to their weaker aura and the others pressing on them.

"Now, she kills her people!" Raven shouted, keeping the anger flowing. "She cannot be allowed mercy!" Rhea looked up, glaring, then stabbed the blade into the ground several times, a pillar of ice rising with her standing on top. She looked down at her attackers, getting ahold of herself, then she glared and put her ice-Dust blade away, drawing a crimson blade of fire-Dust as her eyes turned violet.

"Section Three under the Tribal Codes for Combat... Do not allow mercy to those who would not allow mercy towards you." Rhea looked up, her eyes glinting as they turned blood-red. "Or even those who would."

"Incoming!" Raven warned, and Rhea plunged the crimson blade into the ice, an explosion of steam erupting and shrouding most of the Tribe in steam. Raven looked around, her eyes narrowed as she heard the slicing of blades and the screams of men and women, the thuds as bodies struck the ground. Raven drew a green blade of wind-Dust and swiped it, sending out a powerful gust of air that cleared the steam.

Among piles of unconcious men and women was Rhea, her eyes narrowed as she sheathed a blade. Raven's eyes narrowed further as she sheathed her own blade, the two remaining silent. Then...

"So, am I supposed to take this as you throwing a fit?" Rhea gave a light smirk, rolling her eyes. "Really, Mother - remind me who the teenager is."

"I told you what affect saving Yang Xiao-Long's arm ALONE would have on the future. What you did tonight was-!"

"More irresponsible than saving her life, on that train?" Rhea asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mother, Mother - what a hypocrite."

"Do not call me _Mother_ , traitor."

" _Traitor_? Really?"

"By saving your sister, killing that dragon, and giving all of that information to those people - you may have thrown the future into chaos, and you knew that! You're a traitor to your tribe, and you're a traitor to mankind as a whole!"

"... I'm not a traitor to my sister." Rhea stood up straight. "Or all of the people I saved by killing that monster." Rhea placed her hand on her hilt. "... Your move, Raven."

"... Very well." Raven nodded, placing her hand on the hilt of her own blade. All was silent for another moment, then Raven drew a blade and Rhea drew her ice-Dust blade to challenge it... Only for the blade to be shattered upon contact.

Rhea yelped, taking a hit with her aura and being sent flying back, rolling across the ground and coming to a stop - laying on her back. Her right hand clutched her hilt as her eyes drifted up, her eyes widening as she saw that Raven was holding a blade of pure Hardsteel.

"What..?" Rhea looked up at her mother, stunned. Raven slowly smirked, chuckling.

"Rhea, Rhea..." Raven walked over, placing a foot on Rhea's stomach and raising her blade. Rhea's eyes flashed with fear, and Raven's eyes narrowed as her smirk grew. "You're so predictable."

"Mother- AH!" Rhea yelped as she was stabbed right in the stomach, Raven twisting the blade as Rhea continued to let out cries of pain. Raven removed the blade and stepped off of Rhea, the girl laying still for a moment before rolling over and forcing herself onto her hands and knees, her head bowed.

"Hmm." As she sheathed her blade, Raven could hear her daughter's deep, ragged breaths, then Rhea chuckled weakly as she stood and turned to her mother. "So, you can still stand?"

"You..." Rhea released the remains of her ice-Dust blade, letting it fall to the ground before she placed her hilt onto her sheath and readied to draw a new blade. Rhea looked up, smirking weakly as blood dribbled from her lips, a wild look in her eyes as she drew her blade of fire-Dust. "Are going to have to do better than that."

"... Alright." Raven smirked, then she drew a purple blade of gravity-Dust. Before Rhea could react, Raven slashed it in the air above her daughter, releasing a wave of purple energy, and Rhea was suddenly forced to her knees as gravity came crashing down on her. Rhea's back arched backwards, the girl crying out, and Raven smirked as she drew her blade of Hardsteel once more. "Is that better, Rhea?"

"AH!" Rhea screamed in pain as Raven delivered several powerful strikes to her chest and abdomen, her dark-blue aura shattering halfway through. Five long, deep, bloody gashes were carved into Rhea's body. An X across her chest, an X with a line going down the middle at a horizontal on her stomach.

Rhea fell to the ground, wheezing for breath and closing her eyes, curling up slightly as small, choked sobs escaped her. Raven scoffed, walking over and kicking the girl's back, the girl yelping in pain as she was forced to roll onto her stomach. Raven glared then slashed and created yet another X going across Rhea's shoulders, the girl yelping again before falling still, too weak to move at all.

Raven gave a light smirk as she flicked the blood from her blade, grabbing the girl by the hair and lifting her up, her feet losing contact with the ground, the girl looking up at her mother weakly. She tried to raise her blade, but it was all she could do to hold onto it. Raven gave a small chuckle, shaking her head.

"The weak die, and the strong survive. No exceptions." Raven announced, almost-gleeful. Rhea closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then muttered something. Raven's eyes narrowed slightly. "What was that?"

"I-I said..." Rhea looked up, giving a weak smirk. "You shouldn't have taught me how to hold a small amount of aura in reserve, Raven..." Rhea's eyes turned crimson. "And you REALLY shouldn't have kicked me." Rhea suddenly kneed her mother in the stomach, the woman dropping her daughter in surprise.

Rhea scrambled to her feet, gripping her stomach and backing away as Raven looked up, growling in rage. Rhea's expression flashed with fear, the girl sheathing her Fire-Dust blade, and she looked around at the Tribe as its members began to recover and close in on her. Her eyes darted around, her heart pounding in her chest, then she yelled as she drew a turquoise blade and stabbed the ground, a shockwave going out.

A weak, flickering turquoise, black, and teal swirling portal formed beneath the kneeling girl, who looked up at her mother with wide eyes one last time before her eyes narrowed, the bond between them finally severed completely and the last support of the bridge between mother and daughter burned, sending the structure falling into the abyss of distrust and hate. Rhea fell into the vortex, vanishing into the night, and Raven glared after her, then sighed as she sheathed her blade.

"... From this day forth, Rhea Branwen shall be exiled from the Tribal Territories and cast out." The Bandit Queen announced, clenching her fists as her fellows glared at the place where Rhea had vanished as well. "If she ever returns... Kill her where she stands."

* * *

 ** _Well... That was one of the more brutal chapters, eh?_**

 ** _We see the day that Rhea and Adam sorta parted ways, and how Rhea became the colder, less-kind person that she is in present-day. But, obviously, she still cares for Adam as she later agreed to give the White Fang sanctuary in the Tribal Territories while she led the Tribe._**

 ** _But now, she's no longer the leader of the Tribe, and she's gravely injured due to Raven's merciless attacks and she's somewhere out in the world by herself. One can only wonder where she'll go from here._**

 ** _Speaking of Raven and Rhea's fight - DAMN! That was harsh, even by my standards! I don't think I've given one of my characters such a solid ass-kicking! I'm honestly sorry!_**

 ** _But, to be fair - Rhea'd had a rough night. Her aura was fairly low, which made it ll the easier for Raven to take her down._**

 ** _..._**

 **That's it. I've gotta formally apologize to my OC. I'm sending her an apology card.**

 ***pulls out card, starts writing***

 **"My condolences"... "Your creator"... "IceWarrior13".**

 ***sets card down***

 **... You know what? That's not enough. I'm sending her chocolates, too. You know, just so she can say "hey, it wasn't all bad - I got chocolates"!**

 ***sets red box down next to card***

 **... And a check. I mean, as she is one of my characters and is acting out my story, she is probably getting paid a good deal. But, whatever I'm paying her - it ain't enough.**

 ***takes out check, writes***

 **"Wasn't"... "Enough"...**

 **(Skit inspired by the Nostalgia Critic's review of "Master of Disguise". XD )**

 ** _..._**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	9. Returning to the Nest

_**"Where are you going?"**_

 _ **"Out. I'll be back in a few hours."**_

Rhea Branwen, age sixteen (nearly seventeen), raised her dark-blue blade and slashed a portal, walking through it and departing from her Tribe's camp on Anima...

* * *

... And arriving at a snow-covered cliffside. The middle of Anima to the island of Patch - just off of the coast of Vale - in less than three seconds.

Rhea looked around, noticing fresh tracks from someone's small boots, frowning before turning and kneeling before a grave-stone, her eyes narrowing.

 _Summer Rose_

 _"Thus Kindly, I Scatter"_

"... Hello, Godmother." Rhea greeted quietly. A slight pick-up in the wind seemed to speak.

 _'Hello._ '

"I... I never really knew you, Summer Rose." Rhea began, frowning. "But from I've been able to gather, you were kind. You married my father, and you raised Yang to the best of your ability, and for that I must thank you. I apologize, on my mother's behalf, for what she... What we must have put you through." Rhea closed her eyes and sighed softly. "I wish that I could have known you, and my father, and Yang. I wish... But now, I have responsibilities." Rhea opened her eyes and glared. "My Tribe and my mother will no longer be allowed to cause pain, to tear lives and families apart like they did ours. We will not only survive and thrive, but we will change. I swear it."

Another rise in the wind carried the soft scent of rose-petals, Rhea's eyes opening and widening as she looked up at the snow-white moon.

' _Good girl. I'm so proud of you._ '

"I... I want to repay you, for what you did. If there's anything-!"

The wind picked up again, stronger and pulling the falling snow. Rhea stood, turning in the direction the wind was blowing, her eyes widening further.

' _Go._ '

"Huh?!" Rhea asked, then she yelled as the wind picked up even more and pushed her towards the woods. She finally shook out of it and ran, running with the wind. Her eyes widened as she heard the sounds of gun-shots, a slicing blade, and the howls of dying Beowolves.

Rhea kept running, faster and faster, seeing a clearing filled with Beowolves with one figure cloaked in red hacking them to pieces with a large scythe. Rhea's breath sharpened as she slid to a stop, staring as the figure finished the last Beowolf and stood, triumphant as bullet-casings rained down around her.

' _Who..?_ ' Raven gazed at the figure, stunned. ' _It can't be... Why does she look like Summer Rose?_ '

It was a young girl of around thirteen or fourteen with ebony-hair dripping red and bright silver eyes. She smiled in victory as she folded up her scythe and walked away, red rose-petals rising behind her.

"Impossible." Rhea whispered, her eyes wide in disbelief. The child before her was the spitting image of Summer Rose. "I... I have a half-sister?"

* * *

Rhea silently followed the girl through the forest, leaping from branch to branch in raven-form, still a little bit dazed from the sudden knowledge of having another long-lost family-member.

The two eventually arrived at a two-story cabin in the woods, Rhea's eyes widening as two figures exited the house and warmly welcomed the girl in red home. One was a middle-aged man, the other a girl who was Rhea's age.

Both of them were blonde, both of them were dressed in a degree of orange, yellow, black, and brown. The man had bright-blue eyes, and the girl had lilac eyes. That blonde-haired, lilac-eyed girl was nearly identical to Rhea, which could mean only one thing, really.

That man and that girl were Taiyang and Yang Xiao-Long.

Rhea changed back and sat on her branch in human-form, looking down at the three with wide eyes as the Xiao-Longs hugged the Rose, unable to believe what she was seeing.

It was them.

It was her missing family.

This was what Raven ran from.

This was what she took Rhea from.

This was the life that Rhea had been denied.

Sisters, a father, a stable home full of love and kindness.

Why?

Rhea didn't realize she was crying until her face became chilled, and she quickly wiped the liquid away, bowing her head and sighing ruefully. What was done was done. There was no changing the past.

"Hey." A voice greeted, and Rhea nearly fell out of her tree. Two hands caught her and pulled her back up, setting her down on the branch, and Rhea cursed herself for not realizing that someone had actually sat down next to her on the branch. She looked up with narrowed eyes, grabbing the hilt of her blade. "Hey, hey!"

The man was middle-aged, with spiky greying-black hair that had been slicked back. He had a light beard and light-red eyes, he wore grey, black, and blood-red (the red being in a tattered cloak) and he was a Huntsman: Rhea knew by the large silver broadsword held to his back.

But that's not what made Rhea release her weapon, nor what made her eyes widen and her guard lower. It was the fact that she recognized this man, just as she had recognized Taiyang and Summer Rose's carbon-copy.

"You're... You're Qrow." Rhea realized, stunned. The man slowly nodded, his eyes just as wide.

"Yeah. That's me." The man answered, just as shocked. "And you're Rhea, right?"

"Yeah." Rhea replied quietly. The two stared at each other for a long moment. "I... I just wanted answers."

"Yeah, yeah... How did you find out about this? About the Tribe? About us?"

"... A friend." Rhea looked down, sighing, then she looked back at Qrow. "Why? Why did she go back? Why did she take me?"

"Your mother is... Complicated." Qrow attempted to answer. "She was always very traditional when it came to the Tribe. They raised us, after all... I left because I couldn't take the killing and stealing, anymore. And, I guess, your mother decided that if I wasn't one of 'em, I wasn't worth her time." Qrow looked down at the three below. "None of us were."

"That girl, in red." Rhea frowned slightly. "Who is she?"

"Her? That's Ruby, Ruby Rose."

"Ruby Rose." Rhea looked down again. "Summer Rose. Taiyang Xiao-Long. Yang Xiao-Long. Qrow Branwen... I can't believe all of this."

"What I can't believe is that you're here." Qrow admitted, Rhea looking up at him. "How did you get away from your mother?"

"Hmm." Rhea gave a small smile. "She's not exactly in the position to give me orders, anymore." Qrow's eyes widened in astonishment.

"What?"

"We dueled for the Tribe, and I shattered her aura." Rhea answered calmly. "By the ancient laws..."

"You lead the Tribe." Qrow finished, and Rhea nodded. "Kid... How did you do it?"

"It's... A long story." Rhea admitted, smiling nervously. Then, she gave a normal smile. "You could come back, if you want. Things have changed, we're not running around and stealing and killing anymore." Rhea thought again. "Well, we are running. But I'm making those lazy assholes work for their food, now. They're fighting, they're hunting, they're killing Grimm... I'm even trying to end the _Right of One_. I want us to be able to interact with people outside of the Tribe peacefully, to grow and make alliances with villages and nomads, and-" Rhea stopped herself, and Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"... And be allowed to see our families." Rhea looked up, deadly serious. "I want to get to know them." Rhea looked over as the three entered the house. "I want to meet them, at least. If I could speak to them, even just once... I think it would be enough for me."

"Then, why haven't you?" Qrow asked, and Rhea looked down. "We could go down right now, if you want. I think I'm drunk enough for it."

"Heh." Rhea gave a small laugh, then she shook her head. "I can't. If the Tribe found out, I... I don't think it would go well. They could turn against me, Raven could seize power, and it would all be for nothing."

"Kid... You're just a kid. You're only human, and if you stress yourself out like this... I've seen power change people." Qrow looked down, and Rhea looked up at him. "It changed my sister... And you're a lot like her."

"I know." Rhea admitted ruefully, then she looked forward, clenching her fists around the fabric of her skirt. "But I'm not her. I'm not going to run away. I'm not going to give up... I have goals. And I will complete them."

"... I know." Qrow looked up, smiling. "That's the Branwen way. _Never stop moving forward_... You're going places, kiddo."

"Yeah." Rhea nodded, then she looked down at the ground below. "But before I can go, I have to stay. For them."

Rhea slipped off the branch, and before Qrow could catch her, she slashed a portal and vanished through it, the ripple in time and space closing when she was gone. Qrow stared for a moment, then sighed and shook his head, smiling.

"Reminds me a little of the _Ice Queen_... I'll call her _IceCube_."

* * *

Rhea stepped out of her portal, walking into the center of her Tribe's camp and looking around at all of the tents, frowning slightly at the dying embers of campfires and the soft sounds of people slumbering.

"Where have you been?" A voice asked, and Rhea turned to see Raven. The woman crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowed.

"... Scouting." Rhea answered, not faltering for a second. "I found a place west of here with abundant game. There are some Grimm, but I know that the Tribe is ready to handle them." The girl turned away, ready to head back to her tent, but a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Rhea?" Raven asked, and Rhea tensed. "I... I want you to know that I'm proud of you. You're a strong, capable leader. And the changes you've made... I don't always agree with them. But the Tribe is strong, and their pride... Their pride comes with honor, now. Morale has risen, and-"

"I want to change something else, Mother." Rhea announced, her eyes narrowing as she turned around to face Raven. "And trust me when I assure you of this... You're not going to like it."

"... What?"

"... Spoilers." Rhea smirked, then she turned and walked away, towards her tent. Raven stood there for a moment, her eyes wide, then she clenched her fists.

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 ** _Nearly One Year Later_**

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

Rhea fell out of her blue portal and onto a steep, rocky hillside. The girl gasped then yelped several times in pain as she tumbled down the decline, her body smashing against rocks, her clothing being torn, her flesh being bruised and cut.

Rhea finally landed at the base of the hill in a heap, curling up into a ball as she fell unconscious from pain and exhaustion, beginning to bleed out as she laid there. Though she was unconscious, tears began to race down her face as her fevered dreams were filled with the sneering faces of her Tribe and the blood of her family.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

 _A little girl of around twelve years-old with wild black hair and blue eyes looked up, standing in Beacon's burning cafeteria, her eyes wide as an adult Adam Taurus drew his blade. Her eyes slowly filled with tears, and she took a step back, recoiling slightly from fear._

 _"W-who are you?" The girl asked, and Adam blinked behind his mask. "W-what do you want? Please, d-don't hurt me..." Suddenly, a figure that was larger than the girl but smaller than Adam darted over and stood between Adam and the girl. A fourteen year-old Adam glared, drawing his blade._

 _"Leave her alone!" He snapped, his red eyes narrowing, and the adult Adam took a step back. Then, he turned around to see a figure standing in the flames. An seventeen year-old Rhea Branwen looked up at him, her sapphire-blue eyes tearing up slightly as she gazed at him._

 _"Why did you break your promise?" She asked quietly, her voice saddened. Adam's eyes widened, and he realized all too suddenly that the two children and his mask were gone, then he noticed a figure walking up and grabbing Rhea's shoulder. Raven smirked, her fingers growing claws that dug into Rhea's shoulder, the girl wincing._

 _"Enough of this." Raven ordered, and Rhea looked back at her with a small frown. "He betrayed you... It's time that you accept who and what you are and return the favor." Rhea blinked, then looked down at her hands, her eyes widening as she saw a Grimm-mask waiting in them. "Go on, then. You lead us. You know the laws of the Tribe, and what we do to traitors." Raven looked up at Adam, chuckling darkly. "Like mother, like daughter."_

 _"Rhea." Adam reached out as Rhea looked down at the Grimm-mask, and she looked up at him. "... Don't." Rhea blinked, then her eyes narrowed slightly._

 _"She's right... You just left, you didn't even try to come back and help me. And now, because of you..." Tears raced down Rhea's face, the mask quivering in her shaking hands. Then, Rhea's hands stopped shaking as an expression of calm washed over her face, and she glared at Adam. "I'm a monster..." Then, she raised the mask to her face, lowering her hands and drawing her ice-Dust blade. "And I am the monster you created."_

 _Rhea suddenly darted forward, and Adam instinctually raised his gun and fired. His eyes widened as, suddenly, the older Rhea and Raven were gone, replaced by..._

 _"Rhea!" The fourteen year-old Adam caught the twelve year-old girl as she fell back, a wound in her chest. "No, no! Rhea!" Adam watched as the boy kneeled, cradling the wounded girl in his arms. "Hang on, I'll get help, I-" The boy froze as Rhea smiled and raised a hand to his face, weakly shaking her head as blood slowly spread-out across her dress. Then, her eyes closed and her hand fell, hitting the cafeteria floor. "R-Rhea?"_

 _"I didn't mean to..." The adult Adam stared down at the scene, at the boy's wide eyes as he gazed at the girl. Then, the boy's eyes narrowed, the red details on his body starting to glow with hellish brilliance that made the roaring flames look dull. He looked back at the adult Adam, his fanged teeth bared and his expression filled with hate._

 _The boy gently laid the girl's body down on the cafeteria floor, then he stood and turned to Adam, livid. Before Adam's eyes, he rapidly aged until he was the same age as he was, only this Adam had a Grimm-mask on. Adam stepped back and reached down for his weapon, only to find that it wasn't there. Adam looked back as the man before him scowled, enraged, then practically roared as he charged and sliced-_

...

Adam sat up with a start, lying in his cot in the White Fang's campground deep within the a Forest of Forever Fall. It was the night after the night of the Battle of Beacon, and the Grimm were surrounding Beacon, so there was little to fear from them in the forest...

Adam sat on the edge of his cot, staring at the floor in astonisment in light of the nightmare he had just endured. He hadn't had a dream like that in years, not since the first year or so after Rhea had helped him escape from-

Adam shook his head and tried to clear away those thoughts, but that wasn't working. So, Adam got up, got dressed, and decided to go for a walk. He wouldn't be getting much more sleep, after that.

* * *

Adam walked around the outskirts of the campsite, patrolling and looking out for danger from Grimm that he knew wasn't there but mostly trying to clear his head.

 ** _"I don't want to hurt you, Adam."_**

Adam shook his head again, sighing as he reached up and removed his mask. Adam looked up, opening his eyes, and gazing up at the sky. He remained for a moment, silent, then...

"I never wanted to hurt you, either."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Taiyang Xiao-Long gazed at his eldest daughter, Yang, with a frown on his face. They sat in the living room of their home on the island of Patch, Yang on the couch and him in a chair.

"... So, she just left?" Taiyang finally asked, and Yang remained silent. Her eyes were narrowed, the lilac on the redder side. "Yang-"

"Why?" Yang finally asked, and he blinked. "Why did you never tell me?" All was quiet again, then Taiyang looked down.

"... October eleventh, nearly eighteen years ago." Taiyang spoke, and Yang blinked. "Two beautiful baby girls... The elder was laughing in the minutes after she was born. Her blonde hair was mine, and her eyes were a perfect shade of lilac. Six pounds, fifteen ounces... The younger was silent. Her hair was black - her mother's -, and while her eyes were her mother's in shape,that blue was mine. Six pounds, eleven ounces... I never even got the chance to hold her."

"... Dad-"

"I never held one of my daughters." Taiyang's eyes teared up. "I never heard her first word. I never saw her take her first steps, never watched her grow up... That pain, it was unbearable. And I refused to share it with you, Yang." He looked up at her. "I knew it would tear you apart."

"Dad, I... I'm sor-"

Barking rang out from outside, and the two looked up, surprised. Taiyang stood first, followed by Yang, and the two made their way to the door and opened it. Their corgi, Zwei, sat on the front porch and looked up at them, whimpering.

"Zwei?" Taiyang crouched, frowning at the dog. "What's wrong, buddy?" Zwei barked and stood, turning and running off. Yang and her father exchanged glances, then ran after their pet.

It was misty that night, a result of warm fall air mixed with vapor from an earlier rain, and they soon lost Zwei in the darkness. At this, Taiyang and Yang split up to search for him. Yang ran down her old jogging path, her eyes narrowed. She heard a bark and turned, running towards some hills in the distance.

She arrived in a clearing at the base of a rockier hill and looked around, frowning, before she heard whimpering. Yang turned, and she saw Zwei sitting there, whimpering forlornly as he gazed at a figured lying on the ground.

Her eyes narrowing further, Yang approached and crouched, looking at the figure with a frown. Gently, she turned the form over onto its back, and she blinked, surprised, hearing a soft whimper. A person?" A girl?

"Who..?" Yang's eyes fell on the figure's face. "D..." Yang's eyes widened in disbelief. "DAD!"

* * *

Taiyang looked back, his eyes wide as he heard the scream, then his eyes narrowed as he turned and ran off in the direction of his eldest daughter's voice, going faster and faster.

"Yang?!" Taiyang practically leapt from the brush, seeing his daughter kneeling on the ground, pulling something into her arms and crying as she gazed down at it. "What's-?"

Taiyang's whole body froze, his eyes widening in disbelief as he saw the form. At first, he thought it was Raven, but as he looked at the form closer, he realized that her clothes were blue - they were just stained red by blood, which came from the many wounds in her body and the blood dribbling from her lips. The girl in Yang's arms whimpered softly as Yang held her close, tears racing down the blonde's face as she raised her right hand to the black-haired girl's face.

"No..."

"Is that..?" Taiyang stared, stunned. Then, he ran over and practically stumbled into a kneel, pulling the form into his arms and placing an ear to her chest, his eyes wide and his expression panicked.

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump._

"Is she..?" Yang watched, holding her breath. Taiyang looked up, his eyes narrowing.

"She's alive, but she needs help." He announced, then he stood, holding the form bridal-style in his arms. The form whimpered in pain, and he looked down at her. His eyes teared up as he gazed at her, then he turned and started running, Yang and Zwei following him, closing his eyes as tears raced down his face.

' _I never had the chance to hold my baby girl on the day she was born... Please, gods - don't let my first time holding her be the last._ '

"Hold on, Rhea!" Yang pleaded as she caught up with her father, her eyes wide. Rhea Branwen wasn't moving, her body completely relaxed in her father's arms and her lips parted, blood still trailing from them. "Please, sis! Hold on!"

* * *

 ** _More beating Rhea up! I need to send her another check for that fall down the hill! XD_**

 ** _Also: Adam Taurus, with a conscience? Guilt? OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!_**

 ** _But, now you've seen her first interaction with Qrow - thus explaining their encounter in the cafeteria - and how she first saw Taiyang, Yang, and Ruby. That's cool, ain't it?_**

 ** _Also: Taiyang angst! Taiyangst? Heh... The dad of the year is not having a good day! XD_**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


	10. A Lot of Firsts

Ruby Rose ran into the sunlit bedroom, her silver eyes wide in disbelief. She had just awakened from over a week of unconsciousness and she was still wearing her modest black, white-spotted pajamas, and her eyes fell onto her elder sister.

Yang was wearing a brown shirt, a pair of blue-jeans, and a pair of yellow sneakers. Her long hair was held in a ponytail by a purple scrunchy, and she held a book in her hands as she sat in a chair.

"... Yang?" She asked, calming down. The Blonde Brawler looked back, frowning as she saw her baby sister, then she gave a small smile as she set the book on the bedside table.

"Ruby... I'm glad that you're awake." She beamed, and Ruby gave a weak laugh of relief before running over and hugging her sister. Yang hugged back, closing her eyes, and after a long moment she pulled away.

"Dad just told me." Ruby looked around Yang and saw the figure lying on the bed. "Is she... Okay?"

"She still hasn't woken up." Yang sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "So... We don't know."

On the bed was Rhea Branwen. She wore a loose yellow t-shirt and grey sweat-pants, under which her body was pretty much covered in bandages. The bandages wound around her arms, legs, stomach, and chest - making her look semi-mummified. Her black hair was neatly brushed, and what could be seen of her skin was mostly bruised and covered in small cuts. Her lips were parted, her chest weakly rising and falling.

"... I heard about Pyrrha." Ruby looked down, sighing. "And... I wanted to ask about Weiss, Blake, and anyone else you know about."

"Well... Weiss' father came and took her back to her home in Atlas. He thinks she'll be safe, there - since no one knows who to trust, right now." Yang began, and Ruby blinked. "As for Blake... She ran." Ruby's eyes widened. "Neptune told me that Sun got worried and went after her before he, Sage, and Scarlet went back to Mistral, so... There's that." Yang's lilac eyes narrowed slightly, then she sighed again. "Team JNPR's recovering at a facility in Vale. Ren and Nora were pretty beat-up, and Jaune's not in a good way, right now. I don't know about anyone else."

"But... Why would Blake-?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." Yang looked up, glaring. "She pretty much stuck around to interrogate Rhea, then ran off as soon as we hit Vale... She can do whatever she wants. Anyone can do whatever they want." Yang looked back at Rhea. "... I'm going to make things right, right here... Starting with getting to know my sister."

"Yang, I want to get to know Rhea, too. But Blake had to have a reason why-"

"No, she didn't." Yang's eyes tinted crimson. "Sometimes, bad things just happen, Ruby. A friend gets torn to shreds in the middle of an arena, another is reduced to ashes, another goes into a coma... And it is all pointless."

"Yang-"

"Just... Leave me alone for a little while, okay?" Yang asked, closing her eyes. Ruby blinked, then sighed and turned away. She took a few steps towards the door, then looked back.

"... I love you." She announced forlornly. Yang blinked, then sighed and looked up at her, managing a light grin.

"Love you too, sis."

* * *

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

* * *

As Rhea Branwen came to, all she could feel was pain. Pain in her body, pain in her mind, pain in her heart.

 _'I failed..._ ' Rhea opened her eyes, momentarily blinded by the light. ' _Oh, gods... Am I dead?_ ' Rhea blinked a few times, and her vision cleared up, revealing a somewhat-unfamiliar sight: a ceiling. A real, solid ceiling.

Rhea blinked, genuinely surprised, then winced as she forced herself to sit up, looking down at herself. These clothes, they weren't hers in make or color. And these bandages, they weren't like the fabric wraps she was used to - they were factory-made. This cot - _bed_ , she corrected herself - in all of its softness and warmth definitely wasn't hers... But the blonde sleeping in a chair by her bedside, that was hers.

"Yang?" Rhea asked quietly, her eyes widening as she gazed at her elder twin. She slowly looked down, finding her left hand clasped by the blonde's right, and she remained like that, just staring at their held hands for a long moment.

Both of them had similar skin tones, likely due to days spent in the summer sun. Yang had likely done recreational things like going to beaches and playing sports, while Rhea had earned her sun-tanned skin through years of hunting and scouting.

Yang's hands were calloused, too. This was probably due to lifting weights, while Rhea's callouses came from carrying large burdens as she changed camps and from climbing trees for better vantage points.

Yang was very muscular, likely due to her training and fighting style, while Rhea was still muscled but more lean, as she had grown up trying to become faster than she was strong. Speed was one advantage that Rhea appeared to possess over her elder twin sister...

Yang also seemed younger than Rhea was. They were both children, yes - but there was something about Yang that Rhea didn't have, anymore. Something she had the day Raven first struck her, something she'd fought to cling onto but had lost the day she lost Adam. Perhaps it was innocence, but it also could have been cluelessness. Ignorance, even.

Rhea, the constant realist, often considered the three things one in the same. You were innocent until you realized just how dark and cruel the world truly was, and then you just... Weren't, anymore. Yang's innocence was fading, Rhea could tell that much. But she still possessed far more than Rhea did.

' _Should I wake her?_ ' Rhea wondered to herself. ' _Or should I leave, before she wakes up?_ ' Before she could choose, Yang's grip on her hand tightened, the blonde sitting up straight and opening her eyes. Lilac met blue, and all went silent.

"... Hey, sis." Yang greeted, giving a light grin. "Good to see you're awake." Rhea didn't respond, and Yang slowly frowned. "We found you in the forest."

"I didn't know where else to go."

"Did... Did Mom do this to you, Rhea? For breaking the rules of the Tribe?" Yang asked, and Rhea blinked. "Dad told me that he recognized the wounds. And Qrow told me more about the sort of person Mom is, where she is, what she's done... Did she do this?"

"... Yes." Rhea replied, looking away, her face set in a frown. "She did... I've been cast out. Raven controls the Tribe once more, and they will likely return to the old ways... I've failed."

"Rhea-"

"I have to warn Sienna Khan." It came out softly, and Yang's eyes widened. "Raven will start attacking the White Fang again. I have to make sure that they are ready."

"What?! Rhea, the White Fang-!"

"It was Adam Taurus' White Fang who attacked Beacon. I've dealt with Sienna - she wouldn't have approved of it in a million years... She and her followers in Mistral are innocent of what happened in Vale." Rhea looked up at Yang. "I'm afraid that one of the few things I didn't inherit from my mother was the ability to go against what is truly right... I have to, at the very least, warn Sienna of what's happened. She deserves the chance to protect her people."

"... It's nice to see you too, sis." Yang joked lightly, and Rhea rolled her eyes, drawing her scroll. She typed a quick message - _Tribe lost to Raven. Not safe._ \- and sent it before looking back at her sister.

"It's a simple matter of priorities..." Rhea gave a weak smile. "And it really is good to see you, Yang." Slowly, Yang leaned over and wrapped her arms around Rhea, hugging her, and Rhea hesitated before stiffly hugging back. The dark-haired girl closed her eyes, frowning slightly, then sighed and deadpanned. "If you expect me to break down and cry over everything traumatic that's happened to me in the last several years and sob as I announce that I'm happy to be here or something-"

"Hey: no one's left who will think anything less of you for crying. Raven, she doesn't have to be anything to you anymore... You've just got family now, Rae."

"Rae?"

"Can't I have a cute nickname for my little sister?" Yang pulled away, beaming through tears. "I've got nearly eighteen years to make up for, don't I?" Rhea gazed at Yang for a moment, then gave a small smile.

"I suppose so."

"... Come on. Ruby and Dad are-"

"Dad?" Rhea's eyes widened. "Our... Our father is here?"

"Well, duh. This is our house."

"Yang, I... I don't know if I'm ready to meet him."

"Of course you're not ready. We've gotta get you in the shower, then you need to eat something."

"... Shower?" Rhea asked, raising an eyebrow. Yang blinked, surprised, then her eyes widened.

"Rae, where the Hell have you been living?!"

* * *

Rhea gazed into the bathroom mirror, frowning slightly as she brushed her long, wet hair out while Yang worked the hairdryer for her. She was wearing baggy blue jeans and a black t-shirt now, her feet and arms bare, and she felt strangely vulnerable. Yang had helped her re-apply her many, many bandages to her many, many wounds, and Rhea could safely say that she had never recieved such a beating before in her life.

"Your hair's real pretty." Yang finally spoke, looking into the mirror so that she could see Rhea's face. Rhea managed a weak smirk, looking up as well.

"Yeah, well... I'm very protective over it, so try not to-"

"You're protective over your hair?" Yang asked, surprised, then she grinned. "Me, too! I once trashed an entire nightclub because some sleezy guy touched it!"

"I blew up a warehouse." Rhea grinned, and the two actually started laughing. Yang looked up, still laughing.

"First time you ever punched a guy out-?!"

"He was a total whack-job! Definitely deserved it!"

"Ha!" The two continued laughing, not noticing a silver-eyed girl peering inside, looking shocked as she watched the two. "Damn, we're more alike than I thought!"

"Hmm." Rhea looked up at Yang, smiling lightly. "I suppose so. But, there are the differences in hair and eyes, and you're a bit taller."

"Yeah, but you're totally like me! Just a bit more edgy!"

"Edgy?" Rhea asked, deadpanning lightly as she crossed her arms. "Really?"

"Yeah." Yang replied simply, and Rhea rolled her eyes, giving a light grin. "And you probably don't make crappy jokes and puns."

"What?" Rhea raised a hand to her heart in mock disbelief, her eyes wide. "Sister, you insult my honor. I'll have you know that my jokes are _pun-nomenal_." Yang's jaw dropped, then she dropped the hairdryer, squealing in delight as she hugged her sister from behind.

"I looooooooove yoooooooou..!"

"Yang, t-that kinda hurts!"

"Sorry!" As Yang quickly let go and apologized to a pain-stricken but bemused Rhea, Ruby slowly smiled and closed the door, turning away and looking towards the kitchen. She blinked, then her smile grew as she ran down the hallway.

She had an idea.

* * *

Yang and Rhea made their way out of the bathroom, Yang hardly noticing as Rhea gripped her side and limped slightly, falling a bit behind.

"So, Dad and Qrow built this house before Ruby was born, and it sorta became a home for all of us." Yang began, Rhea looking up at her. "Qrow drops in whenever he's not on a job, and Dad and Zwei typically live her full-time."

"Z-Zwei?"

"Our dog. You saw him at Beacon, remember? The corgi."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It's actually decent-sized, but there ain't much of a tour. Just bedrooms, the kitchen, a few decks, and the TV room. If my teammate, Weiss, saw it - she'd probably call it a _hovel_."

"It's... It's hardly that, t-to me." Rhea managed, briefly pausing and leaning against one of the hallway walls, looking up at her sister. "I think this is the longest time I've spent in a shelter that wasn't a tent or cave."

Yang blinked, surprised, then turned and went to reply, smiling, only to blink and frown as she saw the condition that her sister was in. A moment passed, then Yang slowly frowned, walking over to her.

"Rae, you can ask for help-"

"I-I'm fine!" Rhea protested, standing up from the wall and frowning, her eyes lightly narrowed. "I can-" Rhea went to step forward, but she stumbled and fell forward, Yang quickly reaching out to catch her.

"Hey, hey." Yang chided, wrapping one of Rhea's arms around her shoulders. "Careful... Baby-steps, okay?" Rhea looked over at Yang, frowning, then sighed and accepted the help, the two continuing to make their way down the hall.

* * *

Yang helped Rhea down the stairs, which took them at least a minute or two, and Yang showed Rhea the TV-room before helping her move towards the kitchen. Yang led her sister inside, and they both blinked, surprised, to see a little cook working on something with the oven.

"... Rhea!" Ruby beamed as she noticed them, turning and holding the tray out. "I made cookies! Wanna try one?!" Rhea blinked, surprised, then raised an eyebrow.

" _Cookies_?" She asked, confused. Ruby and Yang blinked, then Yang suddenly forced Rhea to sit down in a chair, the blonde leaning over to look her in the eyes.

"Pizza."

"What's a-?"

"Tacos."

"Yang, what-?"

"Marshmallows."

"The Hell are-?"

"Spaghetti."

"Gesundheit."

"That's it!" Yang announced, standing up straight and looking over at Ruby, whose silver eyes narrowed as she nodded. Yang looked back at her younger twin, glaring. "Rhea, today is the day you learn how to live!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that my little sister's never had REAL food!"

"I've had real food! I've had game-animals and birds, fruits, nuts, roots-"

"Have you ever even had bacon?!"

"What the Hell is bacon?"

"SHE MUST BE TAUGHT!" Yang announced, looking back at Ruby. "Chefs, to battle-stations!" Ruby saluted, her eyes narrowed as she raised a frying-pan.

"Aye-aye, Captain Yang!"

"Uh..." Rhea raised an eyebrow. "What the actual f-?" Yang shoved a cookie in Rhea's mouth, the black-haired girl blinking before chewing and swallowing. She blinked again, then her eyes widened. "What the-?!"

"QUICKLY, RUBY! THE BACON!"

* * *

Ruby, Yang, and Rhea sat around the kitchen table, Yang and Ruby laughing as Rhea reacted to the various foods that they made her try. Rhea wasn't a fan of cheese or squash, but she took to the baked goods, other vegetables, fruits, and meats like she hadn't eaten in years. Underneath the table, out of the sight of her sisters, she was scratching the head of a chubby black, white, and brown corgi with a red collar.

It was funny, Rhea thought as she gave a small smile, how much she was starting to like the little creature after only a short amount of time. She was a dog person, she decided, and she gave a small snicker as she imagined setting the little corgi on Adam and seeing how he'd react. Corgis were herding dogs, after all.

...

 _A chibi-Adam stood on a bench in a park, his eyes wide as a chibi-Zwei placed his front paws on the bench and barked at him, his tail wagging, and a chibi-Rhea pointed and laughed._

 _"You should see your face, because you look ridiculous!" She announced, and Adam looked up at her. "Good boy, Zwei!"_

 _"Rhea..!"_

...

Rhea chuckled, then she shook out of the fantasy, blinking in surprise. Just what kind of pain-meds had her family put her on?

"... What the heck is this?" Rhea suddenly asked, stunned as she gazed at a pink drink. "It's fantastic." Yang went to reply.

"Strawberry Sun-"

"Non-alcoholic strawberry lemonade." Ruby rolled her eyes. "It's Yang's favorite, and Yang always refers to everything by what it's called in a bar."

"You drink?" Rhea asked, surprised, looking over at Yang. Yang shook her head, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"I wish... Do-?"

"No." Rhea shook her head, frowning. "While I've likely inherited the Branwen tolerance, I've made it a personal goal to never touch the stuff."

"Yeah, and... I'm not sure if the Branwen tolerance is intact."

"What do you mean?"

"It's likely been countered by the Xiao-Long intolerance." Yang replied, and Rhea raised an eyebrow. "One beer, and Dad passes out."

"... You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." Ruby shook her head, giggling. "Uncle Qrow used to put a drop of whiskey in his coffee whenever he wanted to take Yang and I to do something dangerous."

"But-" Yang butt in. "If Dad drinks exactly three-fourths of a bottle, Drunk-Dad comes out. He's an extremely happy and mischievous drunk, and because of the antics we've filmed, Ruby and I have three-thousand subscribers on _Dust-Tube_!" Ruby and Yang laughed, high-fiving, and Rhea blinked before giving a small smile. "And, speaking of Dad..." Yang's eyes went to the back door before going back to Rhea. "He's cutting wood, outside. Whether you go to him or he comes to you, you're going to talk to him, soon... And I know it would mean the world to him if you approached first."

"I..." Rhea's eyes widened, her hand leaving Zwei's head, then she looked down. "Could you-?"

"Nope." Yang shook her head, crossing her arms. "You need to go to him." Rhea blinked, then she closed her eyes.

"I wouldn't know what to say-"

"Introduce yourself." Ruby suggested, smiling kindly. "And just, I don't know... Talk."

"... Alright." Rhea managed to nod. She stood up, and Yang moved to help her, but the black-haired girl raised her hand, telling her to stay put. "I'll... I'll go and talk to him."

Rhea turned and limped over to the door, then she paused. She looked over, noticing a bottle of water on the counter, and she reached out and took it before opening the door, stepping outside, and closing the door behind her.

Ruby and Yang exchanged glances, Zwei tilting his head to the side as he watched his new friend leave. Then, Yang sighed, giving a small grin as she nodded in affirmation.

"She's got this."

* * *

Taiyang Xiao-Long swung an axe, bringing to down and splitting a piece of wood. He took a moment, wiping the sweat from his brow with his arm, thankful for the cool fall air, then he placed another piece of wood on the old tree-stump, lifting his axe and getting ready to split it. But then, a hand entered his vision, holding out a bottle of water.

"You... Look like you could use this." A voice announced quietly. Taiyang blinked, then sighed, shaking his head and grinning as he set his axe down and took the bottle, turning towards the voice.

"Thanks, Y-" Taiyang paused, his eyes widening as he looked down at the girl who stood before him. The bottle fell to the ground with a soft thud. "... Rhea?"

"I..." Rhea looked up at him, her eyes wide and her whole body tense. Then, slowly, she took a deep breath. "H-hello. I-I'm Rhea Yin Branwen, and I..." Why couldn't she speak? Why were her lips betraying her, her tongue unable to make proper sounds? "I... I-I..."

 ** _"I want to get to know them. I want to meet them, at least. If I could speak to them, even just once... I think it would be enough for me."_**

"... I'm sorry, for all of the trouble that I've caused." Rhea looked down, frowning. "I've been declared a traitor by my tribe. The longer I'm here, the more danger you'll be in. I should go." Taiyang blinked, surprised.

"Rhea, do you know who I-?"

"Yes." Rhea looked up at him, doing her damndest to keep her expression calm but serious. "I know that... I know that you're my f-father." Rhea looked around the yard, crossing her arms and hugging herself. "I-I know that this... This was the life - the home, the family - that Raven took from me, all those years ago... But that's the past." Rhea bowed her head, closing her eyes, trying to fight back the shockwaves of emotion rushing through her system and losing. "I-I may be your daughter by blood, but I don't expect anything from you. I-I mean, we're s-strangers." Rhea gave a weak laugh, glad that her hair hid her eyes as tears began to race down her face. "N-not that I'm telling you anything you d-don't already know. The one thing R-Raven ever told me about you was that b-blood meant n-nothing to you, when it came to f-family. Knowing and l-loving people made them f-family..."

"Rhea-"

"But, before I g-go, I just want to say this j-just one time..." Rhea managed, then she looked up, giving a bright smile even as the tears kept falling. "I-I'm glad that I m-met you, F-Father. I-I really-"

"Rhea." A hand rested on each of her shoulders, and Rhea blinked, surprised, as she realized that her father was crying, too... And smiling. That smile, his eyes - there was kindness in them like Rhea had never seen. Her tear-filled blue eyes widened as she realized that the blue was the exact same color as her own, and she became mildly perplexed, wondering how once could make blue seem so warm... "Raven really did twist your head around, kiddo... Blood means nothing to me because my friends are family to me just as much as people I'm related to are. Hell, how do you think I got stuck with Qrow?" Rhea blinked, surprised. "Kiddo... I always knew you'd turn out more like your mother than me, just like she knew that Yang would turn out more like me than her. But you know what?"

"W-what?"

"I'm your dad... And I've loved you from the moment you were born." Taiyang spoke quietly, and Rhea's eyes widened as he suddenly pulled her into a hug. Her whole body tensed, then slowly relaxed, the girl genuinely confused.

This hug, it wasn't like Raven's rare cold, stiff hugs or the comforting embrace that Adam would sometimes give out when they were children. It wasn't Yang's hug, which conveyed a sense of belonging - of having someone there who was at least a little bit like her -, or a hug from Ruby that made Rhea feel a strong urge to protect. This hug was warm and safe, and Rhea slowly closed her eyes as she hugged back, tears continuing to race down her face.

"D-Dad, I-"

"You're not going anywhere, kiddo... You're home, now. You're with your family. You're safe here, and you always will be... I'll fight Raven and that entire Tribe alone if I have to, and you know what? I'll **_win_**." Taiyang placed a hand on the back of her head, closing his eyes. "I'm never losing you, again."

...

 ** _There's a quiet place_**

 ** _In my embrace,_**

 ** _A haven of safety where_**

 ** _I'll dry your tears._**

 ** _Shelter here,_**

 ** _In my care..._**

...

* * *

 ** _Well... Damn. XD_**

 ** _I threw some comedy in to help out with the angst of Rhea and Taiyang's first interaction and Rhea's injuries. That explains the whole "Ruby and Yang discover that Rhea's never had 'real' food" scene and Rhea's somewhat drug-induced daydream of chibis_** ** _._**

 ** _Now, I've opened up opportunity for Rhea to interact with her family for the first time. At least, before Ruby (and Qrow) bail and head for Haven._**

 ** _Before I go, I'd just like to give a shout-out to Ninja Blake Belladonna, a friend of mine on RWBY Amino (join and follow me XD ). They're a fan of "A Tale of Twin Dragons", and offered me a lot of advice and feedback for this story, so I wanted to recognize that. _**

**_And give them some embarrassing, unwanted attention. I'm sorry!_**

 ** _... No, I'm not. I regret nothing! XD_**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, JOIN RWBY AMINO FOR A REAL FUN TIME WITH CRAZY FANDOM-NERDS LIKE YOURSELVES ( XD ), etc. Thanks!_**


	11. Coping Mechanisms

Rhea Branwen sat on the bed in the guest-room of the Xiao-Long/Rose/Branwen house, gazing down at a small, black and blue instant-print camera. She slowly reached into her pocket, drawing several pictures, and she slowly went through them, one by one. There were landscapes, animals, and all sorts of Grimm. Then, there were pictures of others - Adam, Raven, Tribesmen (including that ever-irksome Vernal) - and Rhea was in some of them.

Rhea cringed as she saw the pictures from the Tribe, quickly closing her eyes and hiding them from her sight. Then, she paused at one picture, and she sighed and slowly lifted it up, frowning. It was one of only two in existence, and one of the things that Rhea held dearest in the world. The old photo depicted Rhea and Adam standing in a forest. Rhea had her arm wrapped around his shoulders in a side-hug, the opposite hand holding the camera out before them as she grinned cheerfully at it. Adam was rolling his red eyes, his arms crossed and a light smile on his face.

* * *

 _A younger Rhea stood in a forest-clearing, her eyes narrowed as she slashed with her Hardsteel blade, practicing the various moves she used in battle against invisible foes._

 _"Again?" A voice asked, and Rhea looked back, surprised, to see a younger Adam standing there, crossing his arms and giving a light smirk. "You always said I looked like an idiot, fighting people who weren't there. And yet, this is the forth time I've caught you doing that."_

 _"Tch." Rhea smirked, standing up straight and placing a hand on her hip as she rested her blade on her shoulder. "What can I say, Adam? You've progressed greatly, these last four years. I figured that there has to be something I'm doing wrong, seeing as how you're nearly as good as I am, now."_

 _"Was that a compliment?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow. Rhea rolled her eyes, sheathing her blade before turning to him and crossing her arms._

 _"What? Am I not allowed to be nice to you?" She asked, and Adam blinked. Then, he gave a small smile._

 _"Well, then... I suppose that that means that I get to be nice to you." Adam walked over, drawing something from his coat and holding it out. "Happy birthday, Rhea."_

 _"Huh?" Rhea blinked, genuinely surprised as she gazed at the small brown package, then she looked up at him. She hadn't even remembered her own birthday, but he managed to? Slowly, Rhea took the package and opened it, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "You-"_

 _"It was my fault, when your old one got broken." Adam announced, still smiling as Rhea retrieved a black and blue instant-print camera. "So, I figured it would be fitting if I was the one to replace it."_

 _"Adam, I..." Rhea looked down at the camera, stunned, then she looked up at him. Part of her wanted to cry, to thank him from the bottom of her heart for giving her the first real present she had ever recieved - Rhea having only ever bought what Rhea needed and never anything extra, Rhea having to work for months to buy her first camera and facing Raven's judgement over the "useless thing" -, for being so kind... But, instead, she smiled. "I think I know the perfect first picture."_

 _"What?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow, only to blink as Rhea turned the camera on and got it ready, moved over, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding the camera out in front of them. "Rhea-"_

 _"Come on, Adam." Rhea looked up at him, smiling. "Let's see one of those priceless facial-expressions." Adam blinked, then crossed his arms and gave a light grin as he looked up at the camera. Rhea beamed, then she looked up at the camera._

 _The shudders snapped and the light flashed twice._

* * *

Rhea gazed down at the picture forlornly, then turned to the bedside table and opened the drawer, placing all of the pictures and the camera inside before closing it.

What was she supposed to do, now? She had been outcast by the Tribe. She had her family, but she still felt uneasy and paranoid because of Raven and her worry that the Tribe would descend upon that house. And her sisters, father, and uncle all had their own lives, so Rhea would have to find one for herself. What was she to do?

 ** _..._**

 ** _"It's time to light the fires of revolution... And burn mankind to the ground."_**

 ** _..._**

That was a possibility, Rhea realized as her eyes narrowed. She could go after Adam, and ensure that he never hurt anyone else ever again. Now that she didn't have Raven to predict the future, she would always be left wondering about their next meeting and who he'd hurt. She couldn't take that risk-

 ** _..._**

 ** _"I'm going to look out for you, from now on."_**

 ** _..._**

"... Liar." Rhea announced softly, her eyes narrowing as her anger spiked once more. That traitor, that liar, that twisted monster. He was going to attack her sister, he slaughtered innocent people and burned Beacon. He couldn't be granted mercy...

But, for now, Rhea was in no condition to fight. She had to recover and heal, so it would be best if she stayed put. She didn't like it - it was risky -, but staying with her family was her best shot. And, as long as she was there, Rhea decided that she might as well enjoy it.

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

Later that day, Rhea limped into the kitchen to see Yang doing dishes. Rhea blinked, then she gave a small smile as she mare her way over and placed a hand on Yang's shoulder.

"Anything I can do to help?" She offered, and Yang looked back. The blonde smiled, turning to face her sister as she held a rag and a glass out.

"Yeah, you could-" The glass fell from Yang's hand and shattered. Yang quickly looked down at it, surprised, then-

 ** _..._**

 ** _"There's not going to be a next time, blondie."_**

 ** _"He attacked me!"_**

 ** _"You're either lying, or you're crazy."_**

 ** _CRACK!_**

 ** _..._**

Yang gasped, stumbling back and bracing herself against the counter, her lilac eyes wide and filled with panic. Rhea looked up at her, her right eye twitching, but her blue eyes quickly widened in surprise.

"Yang?" She asked, and Yang looked down at her. Slowly, Rhea got down on her knees and began to pick up the pieces of the glass, and Yang remained silent. Then, Yang closed her eyes, bared gritted teeth, and slammed her left fist down on the counter.

"I keep seeing it." She managed, and Rhea stood up with the glass-shards in hand. "That night, when I hallucinated and broke Mercury Black's leg. When the whole world saw what I did, and I saw something different." Yang looked up at Rhea, frowning slightly. "... Am I crazy?"

"... No." Rhea shook her head, frowning. "But you do have PTSD." Yang blinked, surprised. "I've seen it before, in members of the Tribe... Yang, you're not the only one who hallucinated in that arena. I saw the broadcasts - Pyrrha Nikos and Coco Adel acted strange during their matches, too. Somebody could have-"

"Or, it was stress and adrenaline!" Yang snapped, and Rhea blinked. "I mean... I was in the first fight, and my team wa scrounging on me! Coco - she's got a fan-club equivalent in population to Menagerie! And Pyrrha? Pyrrha was the Mistral Champion! Everyone expected her to win! All of us could have hallucinated!"

"Do you really believe in such a large coincidence?" Rhea questioned, and Yang blinked. "Three students, all skilled female fighters from Beacon, hallucinated. Two of the three fights involved Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, who was sighted in the arena after the third fight."

"How do you-?"

"What do you think I've been doing in the last week since I woke up? Whenever you haven't been babying me, I've been gathering intel on exactly what happened at the Fall of Beacon."

"Why?"

"Well... I've gotta have something to do once I'm well." Rhea looked away, frowning. "Tying up loose ends is near the top of my list of priorities... Starting with Adam."

"Adam? Like, Adam Taurus?" Yang asked, surprised. "Isn't that the guy who wa a going to attack me? Blake's old partner and the leader of Vale's White Fang?" Rhea looked up at Yang, nodding. "Why is he the top priority?"

"Because he's my responsibility."

"What's that mean?"

"Yang, why do you think that he wouldn't fight me?" Rhea asked, and Yang blinked. "It's because he knows he can't beat me, since... I taught him pretty much everything he knows."

"... What?"

"After she took him in, Adam was my fellow apprentice under Raven. I was her senior student, so she had me teach him... I'm to blame for how powerful he is, for his very existence."

"So... You're going to what? Get him arrested?" Yang asked, and Rhea didn't reply. Slowly, Yang's eyes widened. "Rhea, you can't just k-"

"Yes." Rhea looked up at Yang. "I can... As much as I am like you, sister, do not forget that we are still very different people. You've been raised to walk the path of light and save lives... I was raised to walk the path of darkness and take them."

"But you're away from Raven, now! You don't have to do what she told you to! You can solve this without-!"

"Yang." Rhea looked up at her sister, her eyes narrowing. "Adam has become a monster... And sometimes, the only thing that can beat a monster is another monster."

"Rae-"

"If you wish to overpower a monster of an enemy, you must be willing to cast aside your humanity." Rhea stated simply, and Yang blinked. "... Believe me, Yang. I wish that there was another way. But if Adam was imprisoned, the people would revolt. If he is killed, his followers would scatter, and a lot of this would be over."

"And you want to be the one to do it?"

"... I'm afraid that there might not be any other choice." Rhea set the glass down in the counter and crossed her arms, turning away and looking damn. "Your friend, Blake, may try. But she's not strong enough to defeat him. That much is obvious... While I am injured, all I need to do is return to fighting-shape and I'll be able to go after him. I know his style, his strengths and his weaknesses. If anyone could defeat him without anyone else getting hurt, it is me."

"But do you want to-?"

"Not really." Rhea waved it off like it was no big deal. "I mean... Who in their right mind likes getting blood on their hands? I've killed before, certainly - but only due to a lack of other options... And with Adam, there are no other options." Rhea's eyes narrowed lightly. "I have to stop him."

"Rae, you're only one person."

"Yes." Rhea looked back at Yang, glaring lightly. "I'm a fully-realized warrior, the once-proud Queen of the Branwen Tribe, and the girl who taught Adam Taurus all he knows... For one person, I'm hardly one to be looked down upon for being so." Rhea loosed outside, her eyes narrowing. "I swear... I'll have myself healed up and combat-ready by the spring. Once that time arrives, I will go after Adam, and do what I should have done two years ago."

Yang simply gazed at Rhea, frowning, then went to dispose of the broken glass. Rhea slowly closed her eyes, sighing as she heard the noise behind her, then she opened her eyes, looking downcast.

' _I wonder..._ '

* * *

 _A nearly-seventeen year-old Rhea glared, standing over the body of Adam Taurus, sheathing a blood-stained blade before placing a large Grimm-mask onto her face._

* * *

' _What would have happened if that had been the path I decided to tread?_ '

"Hey, Rhea!" A voice shouted, and Rhea looked up to see Ruby standing in the doorway, smiling nervously as she held something behind her back. "I was looking at your weapons - sorry! - when I noticed that your ice-Dust blade was missing! So, I did my best to make you a new one!" With that, Ruby brought from behind her back a brand-new blade of carved ice-Dust, which looked just like Rhea's old one. Rhea's eyes widened, and she slowly limped over, taking the blade in her hands.

"The weight, the length - they're perfect..." Rhea stared down at the blade, shocked, then she looked up at Ruby. "How-?"

"I'm a bit of a weapons' geek." Ruby admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Do you like it?"

"Ruby, I love it." Rhea insisyed, not noticing Yang looking back from the sink with a light grin as Ruby giggled awkwardly, rocking on her heels. Neither of them seemed to notice Rhea's slightly-shaking hands.

"Thanks, sis!" Ruby beamed, and Rhea blinked. Then, she managed a small smile.

"Thank you, Ruby."

Little did the three girls know, they were being observed. Taiyang and Qrow stood in the TV-room, having observed everything that had occurred in the kitchen since Rhea had arrived there.

"... She's definitely a lot like Raven." Taiyang noted quietly, frowning. "This guy she's going to go after, Adam Taurus - he's dangerous, and she's underestimating him. But the thing is, I don't think that I could stop her if I tried."

"Yeah. That's how Raven always was." Qrow took a sip from his flask, then he looked over at Taiyang. "... Can I ask her, now?"

"Qrow-"

"Tai, it's important. You and I both know that Raven probably has Spring, and Rhea's the only one who would probably spill the info to me. I've gotta ask her."

"... I'm not sure if she's ready to talk about the Tribe, yet. She still seems really shaken."

"Shaken? Girl seems pissed-off."

"No... Qrow, look." Taiyang frowned, and Qrow raised an eyebrow before looking back at the kitchen. Ruby and Yang were leaving, Ruby taking Zwei outside and Yang claiming that she was going to start her daily workout now that her chores were done. Rhea stood in the kitchen alone, still holding the ice-Dust blade, and she seemed to make sure that her sisters were gone.

Once she was certain, Rhea suddenly fell to her knees with a soft cry, acting her blade away and looking at it with wide eyes as she scrambled back and hugged her knees to her chest, her back resting on the cupboard as she gazed at the blade.

"The Hell?" Qrow asked, his eyes narrowing. Taiyang looked over at him, frowning.

"Qrow, Raven and Rhea use the same sort of weapon. A blade just like the ones that Rhea carries with her did all of that damage to her body, left her this weak and dependent on other people for the first time in years. She's scared, Qrow... And I think she was lying when she told Yang why she was so quick to know that she's showing signs of PTSD. She knew because, in the last week, she did the research she used to diagnose herself."

"But she didn't react to the glass-"

"Her eye twitched, and her hands shook after she took the blade from Ruby... I think that, due to her years of being raised to never show weakness, she's employing some of the same tactics she learned from Raven to hide her condition."

"So... Both of them?" Qrow asked, and Taiyang gave a small nod. Then, Taiyang crossed his arms.

"Part of me thinks it's all three... Ruby's nightmares aren't getting better. In fact, they're getting worse. She's hearing that girl, Pyrrha."

"Damnit." Qrow cursed quietly, taking another swig from his flask. "Damn it all... Ozpin, James - they were too confident. And now, it's too late to fix what's happened or stop what's been started." Qrow looked over at Rhea as she slowly pulled herself together, taking a towel from the cupboard and wrapping the blade up to hide it from her sight before standing, her whole body quivering slightly. "... I still have to ask, Tai."

"I know... Just, please - be gentle about it."

* * *

 ** _/\_**

* * *

A couple hours later, after a semi-heated discussion with Ruby about how amazing weapons could be, Rhea retreated to her room, closing the door and locking it before leaning against it and sliding down the door, pulling her knees to her chest despite the pain in her torso.

 ** _..._**

 ** _"The weak die, and the strong survive. There are no exceptions."_**

 ** _..._**

Rhea closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. But then, she winced, almost-feeling the blade's sting as it shredded her body. The pain, it had been so intense - it still was. And the humiliation of it all, of her horrible defeat and her now-fragile form...

"Rough day, IceCube?" A voice asked, and Rhea looked up to see that her window was open and Qrow was leaning against her dresser, drinking from a flask. Rhea slowly blinked, then looked down. "... Should've left 'em while you had the chance."

"I know." Rhea announced coldly, then she sighed and closed her eyes. "I know."

"... Rhea, I've gotta ask you something, and I need an honest answer." Qrow walked over and crouched in front of Rhea, who looked up at him with a frown. "There's a girl who I really need to find. The whole world could depend on it... Do you know anyone by the name of Fernal?"

"Fernal?" Rhea asked, seeming surprised. "Yeah, I know her. She's a member of the Tribe, and a pretty strong one. I'm just glad that she was out on a scouting mission I assigned her to when-"

 ** _..._**

 ** _A blade plunged into Rhea's stomach, the girl screaming until her throat was raw._**

 ** _..._**

"... When I arrived back in Mistral." Rhea finished stiffly, then she looked back at Qrow. "What's so special about her?" Qrow blinked, then he looked down.

"There's a lot I need to tell you, kiddo... But it can wait, for now." Qrow looked up at her, frowning. "You just focus on getting your strength back, you and your sisters. You're going to need it."

"Yeah." Rhea looked away, frowning. Qrow gazed at her for a long moment, then sighed.

"Kiddo... Raven's always been a real pain. But you shouldn't let her get to you, okay? You're away from her, now."

"... You of all people should know that it won't be that easy." Rhea looked up at him, frowning. "If I want to set things right, I must return to Mistral... Raven and I will face each other, again. And with a one-to-one tie this far, I honestly cannot predict a winner."

"Well... You can't ever predict anything, really. As long as there's a one-percent chance, it's possible. Just difficult... But nothing worthwhile is ever easy."

"What are you saying?"

"You've had it rough, IceCube. But you can't let little things like pain and fear stop you. You've got more pressing matters, like whatever the Hell's possessing you to go to Mistral."

"Yes, that's true." Rhea's eyes narrowed. "I have to stop him. And the fear of Raven won't prevent me from doing so. I can't afford it to... He needs to be stopped."

"If you say so, kiddo." Qrow nodded in reply. "Just keep that in mind. Keep that goal in mind, and once you complete it, find another. It's unfortunate, but just because you're hurting doesn't mean that you can stop fighting. Not with the world being in the state its in... We need as many heroes out there as possible."

"Tch. Heroes? In case you don't recall, I'm a bit of a... Bad person."

"You're not a bad person, kiddo. Believe me, I know plenty. Sure, your head's a little screwed-up right now, but you'll get it on right eventually... You've just gotta keep moving forward."

"Huh?" Rhea looked up, surprised, only to find her uncle gone. A single black feather laid on the floor, and Rhea blinked before sighting and standing, walking over to the window and closing in. "Crazy old drunk."

* * *

 ** _Well, there you have it: Rhea trying to recover, Rhea's presence affecting a bit of the timeline (the PTSD scene occurring sooner rather than later), some more personal and "getting to know you" stuff, and (my favorite) MOTIVATION!_**

 ** _Rhea has goals for the future - *cough* Volume 5+ *cough* - and she's determined to do whatever she can to complete them. Now that she no longer leads the Tribe, Rhea knows that she needs to take care of the people she no longer has any sort of control or leverage over, and she's decided that Adam is the most dangerous._**

 ** _(To those of you who have seen V5E4, know that I have everything under control. I have an idea as to how to explain a certain ability of Rhea's in a future chapter. It's all fine~...)_**

 ** _I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)_**


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